A Strange Circumstance
by L YNAL
Summary: Naruto's always hid her gender for reasons that even she herself doesn't know. All she knows is that her ji-san told her to hide it and she has successfully until an accident at the academy with her self-proclaimed rival. Now Sasuke Uchiha is ninety-nine point nine percent sure that she's a girl and all he needs to do is confirm it. Fem/naru.
1. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **New author alert! Hope you enjoy the story!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 1**

The academy had just ended and Naru was hiding. It was always around this time that Sasuke, the top student, would come and find her. Since their accidental kiss a week ago, he'd been a bit overly curious for Naru's comfort. This would've been put to an end exactly six days ago if the Hokage hadn't announce an impromptu halt to the academy's plans due to 'some unforeseen circumstances'.

 _Just one more day_ , Naru thought, _then we'd be in different teams and I'd never have to see him again._

"Dobe." Startled, Naru almost fell from the branch she was perched on.

"Teme!" Naru hissed. "How'd you find me?" And hopped down in an almost feline grace.

"Tell me what I want to know, usuratonkachi." Sasuke faced the blonde with blank look, not that it fooled Naru any. She knew exactly how curious the bastard was under that blank look. She could even go as far as to assume that if Sasuke was a cat, he'd already be dead six feet under.

"And what exactly do you want to know, bastard?" Naru glared at him.

"Are you a girl?" Sasuke was blunt and quick to the point.

"Teme! Do I look like a girl?" The raven haired boy wanted to groan. For weeks he'd been trying to weasel the answer out of her. And she'd answer his questions with a question of her own. It was aggravating!

"Are you using a genjutsu?" He tried probing.

"I don't know, teme! Am I any good at genjutsu?" And how was Sasuke supposed to know? It's not like some students didn't hide their potential! This was a ninja world! Deception were their best friend!

So, Sasuke went for trying to glare the answer out of her. And none spoke for a few intense minutes. Using that chance, Sasuke took the time to observe her. Because there was no way that Naruto wasn't a _she_!

Staring at her from head to toe, Sasuke had to admit that Naru looked really feminine with her full pouty lips, large cerulean eyes, and baby face. Not to mention, she was _really_ short, shorter than any boys their age. But at the same time, Naruto also looked like a boy with her short, spiky hair and boyish attitude.

" _Are you checking me out_?" Naru squeaked out in disbelief, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes. The dobe was so dramatic! "Hn."

"I'm leaving, teme! Don't even think of following me!" And Naru stormed her way out of there.

A few seconds after, Sasuke turned around and sighed heavily. When exactly was he gonna get his answers? His efforts seemed wasted, but he wasn't about to give up. Sure there were many ways to figure out Naruto's secret, but he wasn't about to stoop that low.

Staring at his hands, he thought back to their accidental kiss. That incident was what started it all. He was definitely not imagining the soft balls he'd groped on her chest. And those lips! Not like he'd ever kissed anyone before, but generally, guys don't have soft lips that tasted sweet and addictive.

 _Maybe he really is a guy_ , the raven thought, _but if he is then why won't he just say it outright_?

Then his eyes widened in surprise and he had to keep himself from laughing at his own stupidity. Naruto had always been a horrible liar. So to keep from exposing herself, she'd refused to answer. Because for some reason she was keeping her gender a secret and answering either 'yes' or 'no' would've given him his answer. And despite being dead last, Naruto was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

Sasuke smirked, now all he needed to do was affirm his assumption.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I'm sorry. It seems like I made Sasuke dumb…**

 **Anyway, read and review.**


	2. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **Enjoy the story everyone and of course there will be mistakes, grammar wise or whatever else of a mistake there'll be, but I still hope you'll enjoy the story!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 2**

Currently, Sasuke was in academy classroom. For once, the place was relatively silent since Naruto had refused to even acknowledge his existence. Surprisingly, the raven haired boy wasn't sure if he should be pleased or irritated. Since yesterday, Naruto had avoided him like the plague, not like it was easy to do but the blonde managed it. From morning, she hardly talked or even looked his way and she sat as far away from him as possible.

It was seriously childish on her part. And no, Sasuke wasn't brooding. He was just a bit...miffed. But to Sasuke's amusement, at least she couldn't avoid him forever. They were on the same team, after all.

And Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but he was secretly glad to be in the same team as Naruto. At least she would be a challenge. He couldn't say the same for his other teammate, though. As a matter of fact, his other teammate; Sakura Haruno, was a stalker obsessed demon! And no matter what, she'd never been able to take a hint.

"Kami, why is our sensei so _late_?" Sasuke almost smirked. Just because the dobe wouldn't talk to him didn't mean that he still couldn't hear her voice.

Also, for some reason, he had this feeling of accomplishment when Naruto was announced as a member of Team Seven. He couldn't deny that this gave him multiple opportunities to corner the blonde. He was certain that Naruto was a girl, but he wasn't about to just assume. Besides being a shinobi taught you the importance of correct information. After all, a slight misinformation could very well get a shinobi killed.

"Sasuke-kun, wanna hang out with me later?" And if Sasuke wasn't Sasuke, he'd already have snapped at his self-proclaimed number one fangirl; Sakura. "We could go together and leave the baka here by himself." And for a brief moment, the raven haired boy had to wonder who Sakura was referring to until he realized that the , ' _himself'_ and ' _baka'_ were Naruto. After all, he'd already conditioned himself to referring to Naruto as a _she_. Maybe he'd need to work on that?

"I'm gonna go crazy! What kind of sensei does this?!" Naruto complained and Sasuke had to agree.

Getting up from her lazy slouch on the chair Naruto walked up to the front and grabbed a chalkboard eraser and Sasuke observed everything shamelessly. It's not like he was going to hide his curiosity!

"What are you doing baka?! You'll get us into trouble with your annoying pranks!" Sakura shrieked.

 _Sometimes_ , Sasuke thought, _Sakura could almost be mistaken for a banshee._

"It'll be fine Sakura-chan! He's late anyway." Naruto's boisterous voice beamed out.

And five minutes later, the trio were waiting patiently for their sensei to come waltzing through the door and falling for the small prank Naruto had just orchestrated. And they weren't disappointed. Their sensei came in a few minutes later, and had his head dumped full of chalk, not that anyone could really see due to his silver, gravity-defying hair.

Naruto managed a little snort of amusement, but judging from her expression, she was a bit disappointed.

 _For what?_ Sasuke wondered and took his focus back to their sensei. Their sensei, Kakashi, gave them all a brief look, but to the raven haired boy's annoyance, Kakashi's gaze lingered on Naruto's form much longer than necessary. The look on Kakashi's eyes were of hungry appraisal, as if Naruto was a delicious treat or something.

He'd have to keep an eye out for the older man...

"My first impression of you all is that I hate you." Sasuke almost wanted to sigh in relief. If he hated them then he'd have no reason to get close to Naruto. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes." And Kakashi was gone in a dramatic swirl of leaves which caused the raven to glare.

Sasuke was definitely going to learn something like that, only with fire or lightning. Leaves were overrated and _way_ too common for his taste.

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 **A/N: Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Chapter 3 coming along guys. Enjoy the story everyone and of course there will be mistakes, grammar wise or whatever else of a mistake there'll be, but I still hope you'll enjoy the story!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 3**

It was humiliating! Naru was really starting to hate Team Seven's sensei. In her opinion, the one that should be tied up should've been Sakura. Not that she had any ill will towards her and despite wanting to be the pinkette's friend, Sakura was really useless. During the whole exercise, Sakura barely showed any skill, but Naru could forgive her for that. What she couldn't forgive was her weakness towards Sasuke.

True, none of them realized that the whole point of the exercise was teamwork, but why did that automatically mean she was the one at fault?! Unlike some people, she at least tried so, why was she the one tied to the log like some kind of sacrifice?

"Feed him and you all fail!" Kakashi-sensei's voice rang around the clearing and he waited for a brief moment to ascertain his threat before disappearing in his dramatic-leaf-swirling thing.

 _Fine, don't feed me_ , Naruto thought bitterly, _it's not like I've never been starved before_!

"Here, dobe." Sasuke's quiet voice broke her out of her bitter reverie.

"Sasu─" Sakura tried before she was interrupted.

"You'll slow us down if you're too weak, loser." And promptly shoved his tamagoyaki into her surprised mouth. "Eat."

A bit taken aback, she followed his command willingly. _Sasuke can be nice, sometimes_ , she thought.

"Here." Sakura said, offering her a sushi.

"Sakura-chan…" She totally took back her anger at Sakura!

"I'm only doing it because of Sasuke-kun. He'll be weakened if he offers you half of his lunch." Despite the warm feeling in her chest, Naru couldn't help but feel a bit bitter. Why was everything about Sasuke? Wasn't she important, too?

But she shoved those depressing thoughts and just tried being grateful, because that's all she'd be good at; being grateful.

.

.

.

A few feet away from the three soon-to-be genin was one Kakashi Hatake. Despite having to observe all three of them, his gaze couldn't help but fall back to Naruto. He looked so much like his father that it hurt. They had the same hair color, eye color, and the same glimmer of intelligence that spoke of a harsh childhood. But Naruto could've also been a splitting image of his mother if only he had violet eyes and red hair.

And everything about Naruto made his chest hurt. Sometimes, he just wanted to blame it all on him. The reason Minato and Kushina died. The reason the Kyuubi came out. The reason that he was _alone_ and suffering… It would've made things so much easier, but the blonde looked too much like his parents and hating Naruto was like hating Minato and Kushina and Kakashi just couldn't do that.

And when Kakashi saw him for the very first time, yesterday, he knew that he was a goner and he had to stare for just awhile longer to make certain that he wasn't dreaming or having hallucinations. He remembered thinking if he should just leave those three and request for a different team, but it was too late. As soon as he laid eyes on the blonde, he knew that the blonde had already made a special place in his heart. And it sucked because that was just one more person he'd have to lose in the future due to his cursed luck. And it sucked even more, because he'd have to pass them for disobeying him. Ironic, really.

Realizing that if he stayed in hiding much more, he'd lose the chance to show them the Memorial Stone and he had to sigh at that. He'd have to show them the place where all his family members' name were all carved in; Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha, and his father; Sakumo Hatake.

 _What a depressing day_ , He thought before jumping out from his hiding place.

.

.

.

Sakura was happy, kind of. She had Sasuke, her long time crush, on her team and they had passed their genin test. She also had an idiot that worshipped the ground she walked on. Who could ask for more? Except she _could_ ask for more. She could ask for Sasuke to pay her a little bit more attention instead of the idiot because she wasn't stupid. She could see how Sasuke had changed a bit since the Naruto and Sasuke kiss incident. She could see how Sasuke seemed to always seek Naruto out. She could see how when they made decisions, the raven's eyes would flutter towards Naruto as if to make sure he'd also agree. She could see how Sasuke's eyes would brighten at the sight of Naruto. She could see how Sasuke would relax at Naruto's voice. She could see the playfulness when they'd bicker.

The point was that she could see a lot of things when it came to Sasuke and Naruto. Sometimes, she'd wonder if maybe Sasuke wasn't gay, but she'd toss those thoughts away. He couldn't be gay if he wanted to revive the Uchiha clan.

And so, it didn't really come as a surprise to her when Sasuke offered his lunch to the blonde, but that didn't mean she didn't feel bitterness. Because if it were her that was tied up on the the log, he wouldn't even think twice about sharing his lunch. He probably wouldn't even acknowledge her and it sucked because she truly did love him. At least that's what she thought anyway. And for all her pretentiousness, because that was what she was doing, pretending─it didn't mean that she didn't have feelings. Whenever Sasuke rejected her or insulted her under his breathe, she could hear and she could feel. But she couldn't just give up on him. Not without a good reason.

So, she promised herself that as soon as a good reason came by to give up her cursed love for the Uchiha, she would take it and she would stick by her promise. She was a kunoichi now and so she had to be mature.

And she was not blind. Eventually, Sasuke and Naruto would gravitate towards each other and she'd be left behind, hurt and as the third wheel whether it was friendship, sibling-wise, or as lovers.

And so she reaffirmed her decision. She wouldn't get hurt and she'd leave the Uchiha at the earliest opportunity.

* * *

 **A/N: How was it? Bad, good? I don't know unless you tell me…**

 **Read and review, guys!**


	4. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **Anyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed my story; you have no idea how happy I was! I was ecstatic. When I saw the reviews, I literally jumped up and down screaming. Call me desperate, but as an author, I felt really accomplished even though there are many stories out there that is so much better than mine and has a million followers or review. But it's okay. I was happy with what I got and it really, really made my day. I was in a good mood the whole day! And I love you guys so much. Thank you for taking the time to do those stuff!**

 **P.S. Also, I know that I haven't updated in awhile and I'm so very sorry for that! I will try my best!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 4**

"No, Saru-ji! I'm not doing another D-rank! If you make me, you're gonna have to personally remove me from your office 'cause I'm not leaving until I get at least a C-rank!" Naruto stomped her foot and crossed her arm.

Sasuke almost wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn't deny the warm feeling in his chest. He was amused. For the past few weeks, he'd been observing Naruto any chance he got, and that was a lot, actually. It was funny when Sakura caught him looking at Naruto. Her expression would scrunch up then she'd murmur under her breath, plaster on a fake smile and went back to screeching her undying love for him. But he knew that it bothered her and just to annoy her even more, Sasuke had made sure that she would notice any time he was observing Naruto.

Speaking of Naruto, the idiot had actively been avoiding his searching gaze since the first day Sasuke had confronted her. The raven wasn't sure why, but any time he couldn't see the bright cerulean eyes of a certain blonde, he felt a bit...darkened?

"Baka!" The pinkette screamed, bonking the blonde's head harshly. Sasuke frowned, why was Sakura always abusing Naruto?

" _Naruto_!" Came another shout. "Respect your Hokage!"

"No need, Iruka-kun." The Hokage waved his wrinkled hands, stopping whatever Iruka was about to say next. "Since you want a higher mission so bad, Naru-kun, you'll get one. A C-rank, to be specific." The aged old man ignored Naruto's enthusiastic ' _Yes!_ '. "You and your team will be escorting Tazuna, the bridge builder, back to the land of waves. Do you accept, Team Seven?"

Sasuke smirked. Trust Naruto to be able to convince a Hokage to bend to her will.

"We accept, Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed respectfully.

"Alright, send him in." The Hokage nodded, eyes twinkling.

Sasuke gave Naruto an amused look as she tried giving the old man a respectful bow at Iruka's insistent glare. The blonde kept her eyes on Iruka the whole time, making sure the scarred man wasn't giving her a disapproving look. The raven almost choked when Naruto fell flat, face first. Getting up clumsily, she a gave a cute scowl towards their academy teacher, but the teacher was too busy coughing suspiciously. Sasuke smirked. Even the Hokage was laughing raucously at Naruto.

"What is this?" The door slammed open and an unpleasant voice interrupted their lightheartedness. "Kids that're fooling around are protecting me? And what's with that bright shrimp. Is he even a ninja?" Tazuna gestured towards Naruto with frown.

"Why you!" the blonde lunged towards their client, intent on at least dismembering him.

Kakashi quickly grabbed onto her jacket and shoved her towards Sasuke when she became too much of a struggle for him. "Tazuna-san, I assure you, these kids will be able to protect you. If they fail, well, you also have a jonin on your team." Kakashi gave him a languid U-curve eye smile.

The two got into a staring contest before the less superior of the two gave up reluctantly. "Fine, but they better protect me with their life!" Tazuna stormed out of there nosily.

"You can stop struggling now, baka." Sasuke whispered, a bit strained. Naruto was really strong…

"Urgh! I'm really gonna get that old man! Just watch me!" And kept on flailing.

"We don't kill our clients before completing the mission, Naru-chan." Kakashi have Naruto a gentle flick on the nose. "Pack up and meet at the front gates in two hours, kids." And promptly disappeared leaving only leaves.

This made Naruto struggle even more. "Urgh! Stupid sensei!"

Sasuke's smirk grew as Naruto flailed about, her chest moved against his arm continuously.

.

.

.

Two hours later, everyone was waiting as patiently as they could. Sasuke was a bit surprised when their sensei arrived on time. Perhaps Kakashi was only on time when a mission was involved?

He was silent and alert when they set off on their mission. It was his first mission outside of Konoha and he was not about to mess it up! He wanted to come out of it alive and kicking with a whole new load of experiences. If he got stronger then it was just a bonus. He had a goal to reach and dreams to achieve.

But... _I might have been too hasty_ , he thought as he teamed up with Naruto to fight a missing nin by the name of Zabuza. He should have known that nothing would go as planned with his orange fellow teammate. Not with her rotten luck and magnet for attracting trouble.

 _Maybe if I stick next to her long enough, she'll attract Itachi's attention for me_ , he thought humorlessly while throwing a large shuriken towards Zabuza. The shuriken didn't hit, but that wasn't his aim. He was just going along with Naruto's plan and freeing Kakashi. Kami knows that Kakashi had been lazy enough! The least he could do at this point was fight for his students' life. If he couldn't even do that, Well, let's just say that Sasuke was abandoning the good-for-nothing sensei.

The battle ended with Kakashi fighting and winning. Too bad that he had to faint at his cool moment. But at least now he can feel secure about the blonde idiot being on the same team as him without worrying over her eventual death.

That's gotta count for something, right?

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 4 up and completed. enjoy and please review? Review! Review! Review! Yayy**


	5. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

 **An update! I can't believe I'm on chapter 5 already. I feel so excited! Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Also, there will be grammars. Just a heads-up...**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 5**

Currently, Sasuke was at the Uchiha Compound brooding. For the first time, he had seen Naruto break down. It had turned out that Naruto had befriended the enemy and their deaths had hurt the blonde badly. For the first time ever, he had seen Naruto break down and cry like a baby, holding onto the headstone that Team Seven had crudely made for the fallen nins.

If Sasuke hadn't witness the scene he would've been completely clueless to the inner turmoil that the orange ninja faced. And he concluded that perhaps Naruto was not made to be a ninja. And no matter how many people said it, ninjas weren't meant to protect and Naruto had this weird twisted notion that that was what a ninja did; they protected. She'd believed her precious 'ji-san' and every other person that told her a ninja's job was to defend.

What a load of rubbish! If he was being honest, a ninja's real job was to kill and destroy. How can you claim to protect anything if you are constantly killing and making enemies? Of course he never claimed to have a 'pure' intention. No, he understood the dark side of being a ninja and accepted it with open arms. He didn't do it for the glory, fame, or money. He did it for revenge.

And he can understand his own reasons. Sure he'd still become a ninja even if revenge wasn't a motivation, but that's because his whole family were ninjas. A whole clan of black hair, black eye Uchihas running around. But Naruto on the other hand, what reason does she have? She had no parents nor any friends. The entire village hated her. Anyone that got along with her only tolerated her. It couldn't be for the reason she loved shouting out loud. That was not enough. After all, what does it matter if you become a Hokage if the whole village hated you?

And this took him to his reason for brooding. Was the girly-boy ninja with the missing nin Naruto's first true friend? If it was then what kind of brief relationship did they have before he went and got himself killed? _Yes, he killed himself. No one purposefully aimed at him_ , Sasuke thought bitterly.

It must've been heartbreaking to see your first friend die in front of you but Sasuke was a bit grateful. And did that make him a bad person? To be relieved when Haku died? Although he felt relief at Haku's death, he didn't know why. He just felt a coiling, twisting, burning anger at the thought of Naruto and Haku being all chummy. Who knows what would have happened if Haku had lived on; the relationship they'd develop…

The fact that Haku also knew about the blonde being a girl was also very frustrating (Yes, he got his confirmation in the middle of the battle. The one where he felt like he was uninvited despite the fact that he fought Haku first). Her secret being revealed when they haven't even known each other for a day? How he wanted the ice user to suffer. At that very moment, he had felt so much anger that it easily dwarfed the rage he felt for his brother. If the ice user hadn't died by Kakashi, he wasn't sure that he would be able to stop himself from making Haku a practice board for his packs of kunai.

But Sasuke grudgingly agreed that maybe the dead Haku deserved his gratitude since without him, he wouldn't be able to see a side of Naruto. And this made him wonder just what else was she hiding. Before the mission, he had thought that she was the strongest person he had ever met (not her intelligence or her skills in the ninja art), not that he'd ever admit it.

But his train of thought made him brood even more. How can he not even know the person that had claimed him as her rival? Was he that pathetic?

"OPEN UP, BASTARD! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Sasuke snapped his head to the door and frowned at the way his heart raced with excitement. If he left it alone, his door will surely break.

He walked over and swung the door open and greeted his unwelcome guest with a baleful glare. "What do you want, baka?"

He was met with a glare from the said 'baka'. "Teme! I knew something was weird with you after that mission from Wave. What's wrong with you, bastard?"

Sasuke glared even harder at the mention of Wave. Couldn't that memory just stay buried? "None of your business, Dobe. Leave." And attempted to slam the door in her face.

"Not happening, you ass!" and kicked the door open. Taking Sasuke's momentary surprise, she let herself in. "I'm not leaving until you stop brooding. Because of you, I haven't had any peace!"

Glaring, the raven stiffly made his way to a chair. "I'm not brooding, loser! Just because someone values peace and independence does not mean that they're brooding." He snapped.

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Are you mad at someone or something?" Sasuke kept his mouth shut and refused to talk. "Fine! Whatever!" The blue-eyed ninja threw her hands in the air and growled in frustration. "Don't tell me if you don't want, but Kakashi-sensei's inviting us to an Onsen. He said that it was going to be treated as a mission, so you can't refuse. Tomorrow at eight."

The raven took it in and clenched his fists. Naruto at the hot springs? Was she an idiot?  
"And baka, how are you going to cover up being a girl?" He growled, eyes flashing between red and black.

"Oh." Naruto blinked as if that thought had never occurred to her and knowing her, it probably didn't.

"Oh, indeed." He snapped.

* * *

 **A/N: Well? What do you think? Good? Bad? Review please! I will love you and appreciate it so much!**


	6. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

 **Well...we are on to the next chapter and I was blown away by the comments. I was really happy. Like really really really happy. I feel like I really don't deserve your praises but I was still really happy. I don't know if you understand but it's the kind of feeling you get when you get an award. It's unexpected and you feel a bit unworthy but happy. I don't know...sorry for the ramble. I just really wanted to convey my happiness to all of you. Some of you may understand and some of you may not but it's okay. (:**

 **Annnnnndd, there will be grammars. Just a heads-up...and I don't want to feel like you expect a perfectly written story from me. Also, if you see any mistakes, please point them out? Thank you and ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 6**

Sometimes, Naru really did feel stupid. It was just a moment of weakness that she admitted it, but she was ready to go to the Onsen without realizing how dangerous it would be to exposing her secret.

"What am I gonna do, Sasuke?" Naru was not ashamed to admit that she was prone to panicking.

"Baka."

"I know that! Can we get on to the point where my identity is hidden?" The blonde growled and started pulling at her short hair. She started pacing and glaring at what randomly caught her eye. It went on awhile before she stopped and gave Sasuke an imploring look.

Sasuke was really tempted. Who wouldn't be with those large cerulean eyes staring at you as if you're the center of its owner's attention? And they were getting watery every second that he was quiet. And those long, wet lashes…

"No." He was tempted and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to resist, but he was still angry at her. How was it that that Haku had to be the one to verbally confirm what he'd desperately want to know? And in the middle of battle, no less. Going along the lines of something like this:

" _Naruto-chan, you are a very pretty girl. There's no need to dress up as a boy."_

And Naruto replied with something along the lines of:

" _But Haku-kun, how did you know I was a girl? I haven't told anyone my secret..."_

Or maybe not. He was a bit out of it since he was ignored and when he made a comment, he was met with surprised looks (well, from Naruto anyway. Haku did turn towards him sharply so, he'll assume he was surprised too). They didn't even remember he existed!

"Teme, come on! Please? Please?" Naru gave a little pout. She was hoping that maybe he'd find her cute and say yes but all he did was turn his back to her and scoffed angrily.

"Why should I help you? If I remember correctly, you're a boy. You never _did_ admit that you were a girl to me." Sasuke walked around the room and tried making himself busy. Anything as long as he didn't have to look at her eyes.

"C'mon! Why do you have to be so petty, Teme?" The blonde stomped in front of him and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

Sasuke stilled and gave her the chilliest glare he could manage. " _Let_ _go_."

"No!" The blonde inched her face closer to his. "Not until you say you'll help me!"

" _Let go, Dobe_." The raven hissed, eyes flashing red.

Naruto pulled his hair harshly but not enough to hurt. " _Make me, Teme._ " She growled, her blue eyes darkening in a way that make Sasuke's stomach coil with heat.

Ignoring the feeling, Sasuke pounced, intent on making her give up. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. She immediately let go of the hair and leaped sideways before rolling into a defensive stance. Both quickly took out a kunai and ran for the other. Naruto jumped over a coffee table and went for a kick. The raven flipped back and threw a few well aimed shurikens. None hit Naruto.

"What are going to do now, Dobe?" Sasuke jabbed.

Growling, the orange ninja made shadow clones and ordered them to jump Sasuke. And that's what they did. A few were kicked, slashed, or stabbed, but those that weren't grabbed on to him tightly. They distracted him while another batch stripped him of his weapon's pouch. When they all poofed out of existence, the Uchiha was left weaponless except for the kunai he was holding, a torn shirt that exposed his toned body, and a few cuts and bruises.

"Give me back my weapons, usuratonkachi!" The raven's eyes flashed angrily.

"Agree to help me, then!" The blonde yelled from the other side of the room.

Growling, Sasuke rushed towards her and tackled her; all of his dignity gone. Like it always happened when he was with her. His senses would abandon him and he'd become a fool.

" _The hell, you bastard!_ "

The Uchiha just growled in response.

Snarling, Naru flipped him over with some difficulty and straddled his hips. Dodging a punch to the face, she tried grabbing his hands, but Sasuke bucked her off violently. Baring her teeth like a cat, she rushed towards him only to get knocked flat on her back. With her breath knocked out of her, all she could manage was to roll sideways to escape Sasuke's stomping kick. Taking advantage of Naru's pain, the raven grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back and pulled her into a kneeling position.

"Give up yet, Dobe?" He hissed into her ear.

" _Not ever, asshole_!" The blonde's strained voice was breathless and it made Sasuke groan from a sudden and intense heat in his groin.

Sasuke closed his eyes and groaned again. "Be quiet for a moment, usuratonkachi." He whispered, his body tensed and his voice ragged.

When the cerulean eyed ninja reluctantly obeyed, the raven was grateful, but that lasted less than a minute.

"Something's poking my back. Do you have a kunai pointed at me, Teme?"

Sasuke's face immediately flamed up. He just thanked his lucky stars that she wasn't facing his way or he'd never hear the end of it.

"Be quiet, baka!"

"Fine!" Naru rolled her eyes. "But you have to listen to what I have to say first."

The bastard behind her was silent for a while and Naru assumed that he was probably having some intellectual debate about whether he should let her talk or not. Going over the pros and cons of having her open her mouth. At this, Naruto felt a little insulted. She wasn't that bad.

"Talk." Naru almost snapped her head in shock. Seriously?

"Alright Teme. You help me with this and I'll do anything for you. Anything you ask. It's a promise." The blonde mentally gave herself a pat on the back. That was pretty good.

"Anything, you say?" The Uchiha's voice sounded hesitant as if he were testing them out.

"Yes. Anything," Naru nodded eagerly. She really wanted to get up. The wooden floor was hurting her knees.

Sasuke smirked. "Alright." He let her go and gently pushed her away from him. His lower problem forgotten. "Don't regret it."

The blonde rubbed her wrists and slowly got up. "I keep my promises, you bastard." She rolled her eyes and head for the door. She had no intention of staying in the haunted mansion more than she had to.

She was almost to the door when Sasuke grabbed her wrist. "Help me clean."

Naru glared at him briefly before looking at the slight destruction around them. It wasn't much to clean but the blonde got the sense that maybe he was lonely and this was probably his way of asking for a friend. This made her feel bad for the way she'd been treating him. This had been the first time in weeks that she had talked to him, not including training and missions, or course. This meeting wasn't even voluntarily on her part but she got to see a side of Sasuke that not a lot of people had seen: his loneliness.

"Okay."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was something...but tell me, what did you think? Though it wasn't fluffy, I think it was very like Naruto and Sasuke to fight over helping the other. Sasuke because he's still bitter about the Haku thing and Naru because she just doesn't back down. She probably had to throw a lot of her pride away to ask for her rival's help...but it's all up to your imaginations!**

 **Now, My Dear Readers, tell me what you think! I update more when I'm happy or motivated...just a hint :)**

 **Also, watch for my grammars!**

 **I LoVe YoU!**


	7. Chapter 8

**A/N: Uhmm, If any of you are confused about Naruto admitting that she's a girl then yes, she did admit that she's a girl...just not to Sasuke but Sasuke got his confirmation when she admitted it...to Haku. Hence the reason he feels a bit cheated.**

 **Anyway, off to the Onsen everyone!**

 **ENJOY**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 7**

Sakura could kill Kakashi-sensei if she could and she also wanted to thank him, but that was before finding out that the Onsen was co-ed. Sure, seeing Sasuke would've be a bonus but she didn't factor Naruto getting the full brunt of Sasuke's attention. Yes, Sasuke was staring at the baka the whole entire time. Anytime the blond would stretch, the raven would glare until even the oblivious orange ninja would notice and go back to being as still as a statue.

The pinkette sighed as Sasuke glared at Naruto again. While she thought that maybe the blonde deserved it, she did feel a bit bad. Everything was starting to spiral out of control. Her relationship with her parents, Ino and their rivalry, and even her kunoichi career. She saw just how far behind she was. Even Naruto, who had been the dead last of their class was better than her.

During training, she tried her best, but so had her two teammates. It took her a while to realize that her earlier prediction was true. She was left in the dust. It wasn't only during training though, it was in conversations as well. When Naruto talked, Sasuke would stay silent and although he looked bored, she knew better. She knew that he was listening to every word and occasionally, the raven would also talk but never towards her. When she talked, he was truly bored. When she listened to him and not Naruto, he was moody. When the blonde was nice to her, Sasuke would monopolize the orange ninja's attention.

It was...frustrating. Was this what they called a love triangle? Except, she was the only one lacking love. Yes, she did know that Naruto did not actually like her romantically. The pinkette knew that what Naruto really craved from her was friendship. And this brought her to another problem: her parents.

When Sakura announced that she was going to become a kunoichi, her parents were a bit hesitant but they still supported her. When she announced who her teammates were, they were not happy. Sasuke, they said, was a curse that needed to be destroyed. And Naruto, they said, was the bringer of death. And they argued that she needed to be in a different team. She refused and the disagreement left them to where they are now. Torn and angry.

Because she'd refused, her parents had kicked her out with nothing except the allowances she made as a kunoichi. We don't want a daughter that sells herself to the devil, they said. Luckily the money was enough to rent a shabby apartment. And that day, Sakura had never cried so much. For once in her entire life, she was truly alone. It wasn't like when she was a child and she had been bullied and isolated by other kids. That time, she had Ino but she messed that up also. Now, all she had was her teammates. One whose kindness she had taken advantage of. The other she had thought was Kami himself. And then, there was the teacher. A perverted man that taught them nothing and interfered even less.

She had made a mistake and she wasn't sure _how_ to fix it.

.

.

.

While it may not have looked like Kakashi cared, he actually did. His students had grown on him and it was hard to distance himself. He'd find himself laughing as they laughed, smiling as they smile, and feeling sad when they felt sad. He understood that the three of them were a bit irritated at him for not teaching them anything. It was understandable, but they didn't know his reasons. If they weren't at the right skill level, he could still protect them and keep them home where it was safe. Yes, he knew the dangers they'd face if they were untrained...but they'd face even more danger if they were accomplished ninjas. Was it so bad that he wanted to preserve their innocence a little bit longer?

Like the now?

The now where he could feel amusement whenever Sasuke and Naruto fought. The now where he felt proud whenever Sakura was eager to share her knowledge and intelligence….The now where they could all relax in the hotsprings without worrying what's going on in the world outside.

Kakashi glared at his ever present orange book. He wanted to drown it in the hot water. Maybe it'll die a more painful death than his throbbing head.

' _Your team needs to be trained,'_ it had written. ' _They need to be ready for what's coming,'_ and then it quickly erased itself. A second later, the sexual contents on the book was back.

 _I know that more than anybody,_ he thought sourly.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispered. He gave a slight hum in response. "What happened between Naruto and Sasuke?"

And that was another thing he noticed. His students were growing, maturing. Where Sakura was obsessed about Sasuke, she only stared at him longingly. Where Sasuke was cold and rude, he was now a bit playful and bright. And where Naruto was hurt and defensive, he was happier now and letting others in.

"Sakura-chan, if you can get Naru-chan out of his T-shirt that he snuck in, I'll teach you how to walk on water." He whispered conspiratorially.

Sakura's eyes brightened. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Go for it."

" _Alright_!" The pinkette's bright green eyes gleamed with determination, it's earlier cloudiness gone.

She waddled over to Naruto and grabbed at his T-shirt.

" _The hell!_ " The blonde yelled. "What are you _doing_?"

"Take your shirt off!"

Kakashi watched in amusement as they struggled. Was Naruto hiding something?

"Leave him, Sakura!" The raven snapped. "You'll cause a mess if you continue."

"We're not bothering you, you bastard!" The blonde murmured, head down, cheeks red.

The young Uchiha's head snapped towards Naruto's direction and _glared_. " _What did you say, Dobe?_ Did you _forget_ something? Something on your _chest_?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sakura-chan! Don't rip the shirt! I have ugly bruises and scars from training!"

" _What_? When have you've been self-conscious about anything?" Sakura momentarily stopped. Taking that chance, Naruto leaped up from the spring and ran out.

Snapping back to focus, Sakura's eyes blazed with anger. "Where do you think you're going, you baka?!" And ran after him.

Snarling, Sasuke quickly grabbed a towel and walked towards the changing room with an irritated look.

Alone at the Onsen, Kakashi smiled. They were happy now and finally, so could he. For now.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Review! Review! Review! Tell me what you think! Did you like the Onsen scene? Yes? No? Was it cute? Horrible? Don't ever write something like that again? What?**


	8. Chapter 9

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! Please enjoy chapter 8! Also sorry for not updating in so long. Sorry** _ **bageltiger**_ **! Like I told you, my laptop broke. I just got a new one today (April 5th, 2016).**

 **To the others that were patiently waiting. I'm sorry! Forgive me and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! And the revised part.**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 8**

"Put them in the Chuunin Exams."

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi tilted his head in confusion. "Why? They aren'tㄧ"

"I mean no offense to you or your teaching skills when I say this, but Kakashi, your team has the worst teamwork in all of this generation's shinobi." They younger of the two nodded hesitantly. "This is why they need to be in the Chuunin Exams. So, when tomorrow comes, recommend Team Seven." Kakashi opened his mouth to protest but it died down at the old man's sharp look.

"I understand." Ignoring the sinking feeling, Kakashi reluctantly agreed. The silvered-haired man had some reservations about letting a team as diverse as Team Seven into the Chuunin Exams. He wasn't so sure that they'd be able to put aside their differences and work together if the situation called for it. But maybe the Chuunin Exams could be a catalyst, Kakashi thought.

The Hokage nodded in approval. "Dismissed."

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.

.

It was a hot day for the trio when they had to get out of their homes. The sun was bearing down on them harshly. It was worse for Sasuke and Naruto since one was dressed in dark clothes and the other was wearing a thick orange jumpsuit. As for the third member of the team, she was lightly dressed but she didn't fare any better than the other two.

"It's soooooo hot!" Naruto whined loudly. Despite not voicing out her distress, Sakura wholeheartedly agreed with the blonde idiot. It really was hot!

The mornings had been cool and breezy then came the afternoons and it was like a whole three-sixty degree turn. Before they knew it, they were already sweltering under the heat and that made her curious about a certain person with black hair.

Glancing at the dark haired boy on the other side of Naruto, Sakura had to wonder how he could wear such dark clothes during the summer. Then again, she glanced at the light haired boy beside her, how did _he_ wear a jacket and not melt? Frankly speaking, Naruto was dressed worse than Sasuke.

The pinkette gave a loud sigh. She'll probably never be able to figure them out anyhow.

"BOSS!" Came a loud three immediately halted in their steps. Honestly, Sakura thought, they really didn't have time for annoying kids. Not only were they extremely hot, they were also easily irritable and it really didn't help that there was a loud screech from some super hyperactive kid that just didn't know the meaning of summer heat! At this point in time, she was very sensitive!

"Konohamaru…" Naruto trailed off awkwardly.

"Boss! You look horrible! Did something happen?" Konohamaru laughed boisterously, giving his two friends, Udon and Moegi; a boy and girl, respectively, an enthusiastic high-five. That ticked Sakura even more. Not only did the kids look unaffected, but they had the guts to make fun of people who were! Those annoying brats were laughing at her team's misery!

"Kono─" Naru was about to gently convince Konohamaru into leaving when she got interrupted by a red and angry Sakura.

"Look here, brat! We're not about to be insulted by a cry baby who still wets his pants!"

Konohamaru's face reddened in anger and embarrassment. "Shut up, hag! I wasn't even talking to you!" Konohamaru gave Naru a sharp look full of disappointment. "Boss, if this is your girlfriend, you can do so much better!"

And with a fierce glare towards Sakura, Konohamaru ran passed her, making sure to purposefully bump her on his way.

"THAT STUPID KID!" Any restraint Sakura had was broken by Konohamaru's taunt.

"Sakura…" Ignoring Naru, the pinkette ran for it, chasing Konohamaru with full speed. The blonde rolled her bright cerulean eyes, turned to her other teammate, found the spot empty and heaved a sigh. Deciding that she should at least follow one teammate that wasn't MIA, she quickly ran after Sakura.

.

.

.

During the long chase after her pissed-off teammate, Naru felt _horrible!_ With every step her foot took, the heat bearing on her seemed to increase till it felt like she was being burnt alive. She was already sweating profusely and she never felt like this! Sure, she wasn't immune to climate change, but she was usually much more durable. When had Konoha heat waves gotten _this_ bad?

And just when she thought she was about to collapse, the heat bearing down on her suddenly stopped. Confused and a little relieved, she also stopped. In her absentmindedness, she didn't realize that she had almost bumped into Sakura.

"It stopped…" She murmured in amazement.

"Boss!" Konohamaru's distressed call snapped her out of her awe.

In front of her was Konohamaru dangling a few feet in the air.

Snapped into reality, she gave the situation in front of her a brief assessment, and quickly came to the conclusion that this was one trouble Konohamaru wouldn't be able to get himself out of.

"Let Konohamaru go!" Naru glanced over at Sakura, who looked exhausted and a little rattled. The pinkette had the right idea on trying for a peaceful demand.

"Why should I?" The guy that had Konohamaru retaliated. He was in a cat jumpsuit and had a face caked with make-up. He had something like a mummy wrapped on his back and next to him was a older girl with sandy blonde hair tied up into four ponytails. Her choice of clothing was a light colored purple, off-the-shoulders garment that reached halfway down her thighs and with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. Like her partner, she was also carrying something behind her back; a large fan.

Drowning out the noise around her, Naru was a bit unsure how to handle the situation. Should they fight the unknown ninjas or settle for something peaceful? At times like this, she really wished that Sasuke were there. Why'd he disappear at such a crucial time? Then suddenly, an important fact popped in her brain. _Konoha_ maru was a longer version of _Konoha_!

"Konohamaru's the grandson of the Hokage!" She blurted. She wasn't sure how they'd react to that information, but she hoped that they'd at least be a bit intimidated and give her a chance to rescue the brat. It didn't matter where or how that chance came by but she needed it.

Really, where was Sasuke?

Then as if on cue, she felt a familiar spark of chakra, one that felt versatile but sent pleasant electric shocks down her spine.

In a split second, a small rock connected with the foreign shinobi. Momentarily shocked, the ninja dropped Konohamaru and Naru quickly ran for the little boy, grabbed him and flipped back.

"Sasuke-kun!" Naru gave Sakura a brief glance of surprise before focusing on their third teammate. Sakura couldn't feel Sasuke's chakra?

"What took you so long, bastard?" The blonde called out.

Without acknowledging his teammates, the raven gave the opposing ninjas an intimidating glare.

"Get lost."

Naru rolled her eyes at Sasuke's irritating personality.

"Boss, why aren't you as cool as him?!" Naru's little protégé gave her a small pout.

Feeling a little embarrassed, the blonde gave a returning pout. "I _am_ cool! I _probably_ could've beaten him in two seconds flat!" She boasted half-heartedly.

Konohamaru gave her a disbelieving look. " _Riiiiight_."

Annoyed, Naru gave Sasuke a glare, one that he just smirked at.

If it weren't for the frightened gasp of 'Gaara' from the foreign shinobi, they would've still been in a staring match.

"You are an embarrassment Kankuro."

There, in front of Naru, stood the third teammate of the foreign shinobi. He couldn't have been any older than Naru herself.

He had red hair and heavy bags under his mesmerizing seafoam eyes that had the lightest shade of green. Above his left brow was a kanji for 'love'. The redhead's flawless face was perfectly emotionless, even worse than her teammate's mask, but Naru could see that he was very lonely. Looking into his eyes, she felt as if the world, itself, abandoned and betrayed him.

Judging from his disposition, she knew the redhead was a dangerous guy, but still Naru found him to be _dazzling_...

.

.

.

Sasuke knew that there was something unusual about the heat. While Konoha could get really hot sometimes, it was never this hot. His suspicions were confirmed when the _brat_ came running towards them or more specifically; towards Naruto, looking perfectly fine.

He knew from personal experience that children were more sensitive towards heat but Konohamaru looked _fine_. This worried him. Perhaps they were being tested by Kakashi? Seeing his two teammates distracted, he took his chance to quietly slip away. He needed to confirm his suspicions and if he were correct in them, he needed to find the source of their problems.

Hiding his aura, he immediately took to the rooftops. This was one thing he could thank Kakashi for teaching them. That and finding chakra signatures.

The first place he went to was the training ground of Team 10. When he arrived, he found them fried. They were sweating profusely and half of their clothes were off. Despite training near a lake, they didn't seem to have any energy to at _least_ crawl towards it. Taking note of it, he quickly checked on the other teams.

They were all the same.

The only team that seemed slightly better off were his own. And while that should've made him feel better, he didn't.

It really did seem like it was _just the heat_ that was getting to them but things just didn't seem to add up.

For example, the civilians were perfectly fine and so were the chuunins and jonins. The kids were also totally unaffected. It seemed the heat wave only affected genin and being a genin himself, he felt...sabotaged.

Why was the heat only affecting genin?

Unsure how to go about it, he tried sensing if the heat had chakra.

Luckily it did. Sasuke channeled some chakra to his eyes and started following the chakra. He was led to a training ground dense with wildlife. Giving the area around him a quick scan, he grabbed his hitai-ate and stuffed it in his back pocket while also hiding any of his remaining aura.

There, in a small clearing surrounded by thick thorny bushes, were three ninjas who looked identical to each other; dull red hair, thin lips, and a sharp and angular face. All three were wearing civilian clothing; normal brown trousers, and gray shirts. They were just a little bit older than him. Annnnd they were probably using henge.

Still, Sasuke concluded that they stood out... _a lot_. He was reminded of a blonde idiot all over again. He inwardly sighed at the turn of his thoughts. Why was it always, _blonde this, blonde that_? And if it weren't _blonde this, blonde that,_ then it was _cerulean eyes and the way they twinkled,_ or _her smile,_ or _that time in his house,_ orㄧ

Sasuke mentally shook his head. Not now, he thought. _Maybe later._ Right now, he had a trio to take down. The only good thing about his situation was that all three were distracted and they hadn't noticed his presence yet...or maybe they had and they were only pretending otherwise and if that were the case, he had a plan.

He gave an evil smirk.

Who cared what rank they were! If met with an opponent with a higher rank and a renowned name, what could they do but cower?

Giving the three in front of him a determined glare, he grabbed a kunai, created a bunshin and henged it into the Hokage.

Let's see how they like being sabotaged!

.

.

.

Kakashi gave the rest of his colleagues a smug look. After the jonins had gathered together, they had planned a little test for their students and they had made a bet on it. One that he had just won. It was hilarious how the other jonins thought that it would be _their_ students who would be the ones to figure out the reason for the usual and unpleasant heat wave.

Obviously that was not the case. It was completely see-through that it would be a member of Team Seven who would solve the case. How could it _not_ be his team? They were too sharp and waaaay too curious for their own good!

"Somebody needs to collect the three chuunins that the black haired brat just knocked out." Asuma bitterly let out.

Kakashi chuckled under his breath. Thanks to Sasuke, he had earned quite a lot of money.

"MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND! YOUR STUDENTS ARE FILLED WITH YOUTHFUL ENERGY! TO MAKE UP FOR THIS, I MUST RUN AROUND KONOHA A HUNDRED TIMES WITH MY OWN YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!" Gai shouted with his inhumanly loud voice. Why'd he have to bring the students into it, the silver-haired thought with an amused wince.

But this just made Kakashi whistle happily because to be completely honest, it was a very tense bet that they were making and the silver-haired man had been very nervous of Gai's team. Not only were Gai's team a year older and a year more experienced than his own team, they were also all very smart and sharp. _All of them_ , no matter how idiotic one of them acted. Especially the carbon copy of Gai, one. It's really just all deception.

"How did the Uchiha manage to knock out _three_ highly trained chuunin?" Kurenai, a black haired, red eyed beauty whispered under her breath. Granted, they were very distracted, but they still should've won against a _genin_.

The silver-haired shinobi just eyed smiled. They wouldn't understand any one of his students and how they would win in any of their battles unless the jonins personally went and met up with them.

Deciding to milk all of their misery, he waited until the last minute to remind them that they had a meeting with the Hokage. He was feeling nice, though, since he gave them a few minutes instead of a few hours to reign in their shock and shame before giving them a heads-up.

"Hokage-sama is waiting for us~" And promptly disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

.

.

.

Naru was feeling weird and uncomfortable. She couldn't help being a bit paranoid. She was surrounded by two people that were at the very top of their class. Despite not outwardly admitting to it, she felt a bit inferior, sometimes.

Like, right now. They weren't scrutinizing her or anything, but she wouldn't put it past them to pounce on her as soon as she showed her neck, metaphorically speaking, of course.

They were very observant and she wasn't sure if they knew about her little predicament or not.

And she loathe to admit it but, what if she was becoming like Sakura and Ino? Afterall, didn't they change because of a crush? What if that happened to her? What if she became possessive and rabid like them? That would be bad right? And it's not like she's different from them any longer. Like them, she also developed a crush.

 _Gaara_...she mentally sighed. Why'd his eyes have to look so _beautiful_?

"Dobe!" Naruto gave a little yelp.

Her eyes snapped to her two irritated teammates.

"What's _wrong_ with you, baka?" Sakura whispered furiously. "This is no time to be daydreaming! We're in the middle of a room crowded with people who wants to become chuunin! _Focus_!"

Naru gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry." She whispered.

She didn't feel all that sorry. How could she? Gaara was just a few heads in front of her!

" _Dobe_." Naru quickly snapped her neck towards Sasuke. "I hope you're not feeling an attraction to _anyone_ in this room. Especially not to a red haired _boy_."

The blonde flinched. "Why wouldㅡ"

"He's our enemy. And even if he weren't, he sees you as a _boy._ " Sasuke gave her a threatening look. "So stay away from him. _Or else_."

Clenching her fists, Naru decided to just stay silent. It was so unfair! For the first time ever she had someone she liked! Sasuke never warned anybody else to stay away from their crush, be it enemies or not! _He_ certainly didn't say anything to _Temari_ , the sand ninja, to stay away from him when it was clear as day that the girl had a crush on him!

And it's not like she would act on her feelings! What's the harm in having a little crush?

When the first exam started, the blonde was still frustrated from Sasuke's words. Bitterly, she decided that she had better things to do than to answer questions that were nothing more than gibberish. Despite how hard she tried, it's not like the answer would appear in front of her anyway. At least not unless she cheated.

Cheated.

 _Cheat_ ed.

 _Cheated!_

Was she supposed to cheat? Why?

Naru frowned. Why did _she_ have to cheat? _Konoha_ was her home. Why did she have to cheat on a test that was situated at her birthplace? The blonde gave a small snort. Did the idiots think that she was going to disgrace her birthplace by _cheating_ to pass? No way! She was going to pass!

Screw all nine questions that she couldn't answer even if she tried!

Screw the tenth question which was supposed to be their last hope to becoming a chuunin!

She was going to pass!

 _And she was going to pass it her way!_

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.

.

Throughout the whole Written Exam, it was easy to ignore Naru's barrage of emotions. He didn't have to look at her. He just had to focus on his test and the people around him _without_ accidently looking her way...or her could just lay his head down and go to sleep. However, he couldn't say the same about the sand brat! Occasionally, Sasuke would catch the redhead stealing curious glances at Naru.

Every glance from the redhead always made him feel like he was at the edge of his seat and that he'd fall off at any second. He wasn't sure why he felt a burst of anger every time the sand brat stole a glance at Naru. It was just there. Boiling under his skin and threatening to escape. He was sure that if his Sharingan hadn't been unlocked yet, the strong emotion that he was feeling now would've unlocked it already. But the thing that kept on slipping past his fingers were _why_ he was feeling what he kept on feeling when the damn _Gaara_ kept on stealing passing glances towards the blonde idiot!

...maybe it was because the redhead might figure out Naru's secret? Sasuke have the idea a contemplative thought. It was a logical reason, the raven mentally nodded. It would certainly explain his insecurity and his feelings of being on edge and anxious. Yes, that must be the reason, he thought.

Pushing the matter to the back to the recesses of his mind, Sasuke focused on glaring at the redhead. Maybe the sand brat'll get the hint and back off? It was completely uncalled for to look at another team's teammate in that manner, the dark-eyed boy thought bitterly. It's not like Sasuke went around curiously staring at another team's teammate, so why did the redhead have to do it?

No matter the reason, Sasuke thought, he wasn't going let the sand brat get an _inch_ of where Naru was standing, anyway. He'd be sure to guard her. _Completely_. _From any weirdos of any kind_!

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.

The trio were in the Forbidden Forest and Sakura was still a little shocked over Naruto's brazen display of carelessness. She wasn't sure how they passed, if the pinkette was being completely honest. And the whole _passing-the-Written-Exam_ had just sunk in very recently which was why the emerald-eyed girl was chewing over the recent events. Which was only one, actually. It was towards the end of the first exam. The one where Naruto had declared he'd be Hokage no matter what. It was something so like Naruto to say. Something idiotic and something that begged others to advantage of. It was something, in Sakura's mind, that wasn't a display of will or strength. It was a display of foolishness and a sure way for someone skilled to use provocation against Naruto and through the blonde and into his teammates. Ultimately, it was a sign of weakness.

And speaking of weaknesses, her team was going to fail majorly if they kept it up.

For some reason, the tension between Naruto and Sasuke had gotten worse after the first portion of the exam. One was quiet and sullen which contrasted heavily to his usual bright self. The other was predictably moody but was being unusually close to the blonde as if he were trying to protect him. This, of course, irritated the blonde even more. Despite the heavy tension and the stifling silence between the two, they cooperated well with each other. But Sakura wasn't the number one kunoichi in the academy if she couldn't notice something as small as Naruto's resentment towards the dark-haired boy festering just beneath the cerulean-eyed boy's sun-kissed skin.

She wasn't sure what caused it, but if this went on, one of them were going to snap and knowing her, the first one to snap weren't going to be her two teammates. It was going to be her. She wasn't used to this scene or their uncalled for actions. Once again, she was left behind and out of the loop while her two teammates thrust on ahead without her. Without letting her in and confiding in her. How could she not snap? A human could only take so much before they approached their limits and burst.

However, at this point, they needed all the help and cooperation they could get. _All three_ of them. Otherwise they were going to facing sure death. One by nature and another by wannabe-chuunins.

Dealing with an irritated Sasuke and Naruto was hard and to be completely honest, she was on her last string of patience. She loved Sasuke, but the whole mess probably started with him. Naruto was being unusually quiet, which meant that whatever it was, had really gotten to him. She could only hope that the blonde would bounce back to his usual self and keep the team glued together because Sakura wasn't unrealistic. She knew that without Naruto, the whole team would fall apart.

She wasn't ready for that, yet. And she wasn't sure that she'd ever be ready for it when the time came.

.

.

.

Sasuke was really keeping to his promise. That was until Naru got fed up with him and announced that she had to pee. Sasuke would've followed Naru if it weren't for the important fact of her actually being a girl. A very angry and violent girl. Not that he was afraid of her or anything. To be fair, the raven-haired boy _did_ think that she needed some space. It was just that, she attracted trouble like a magnet so he was hesitant on giving her the space she wanted along with needing it.

And predictably, that's where everything went downhill. Some creep that looked like a snake showed up and introduced himself as Orochimaru and since the blonde wasn't with him, he wasn't sure if Naru was fine or injured since apparently, the creep had summoned a snake to keep Naru distracted. However, Naru being Naru, didn't let things go the way that Orochimaru had planned.

She'd came back looking a little worse for wear and he'd never felt so hopeless before. The man they were fighting were completely out of their league. Seeing the blonde fight so ferociously for her comrades made him feel pathetic and so very useless. It only increased tenfold when his last image of the teammate that he had sworn he'd protect was of her going berserk on a man that was undoubtedly _not_ a genin.

When he'd first woken up a few hours later, Sakura was being attacked by some Sound shinobi. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by some unknown power that he couldn't control, he'd gone a little crazy on the enemy. It didn't help that the image of Sakura was replaced by a helpless Naru. That hallucination just made his blood boil and his very existence screamed at him to get rid of the enemy holding the girl that was precious to him. When he came to, he wasn't sure what _really happened._ He wasn't sure who stopped him and how they stopped him. Since apparently, he'd blacked out during the fight. He was just relieved that Naru wasn't the one that had almost died by the hands of Team Dosu.

The Naru that wasn't the hallucination was _fine_ except she was still unconscious and feverish, but she was _fine._ _No one_ was about to stick a kunai in her. She wasn't going to die like those around him. Like all of his family members on that fateful night.

Feeling relieved, Sasuke's legs collapsed under him. Naru was fine.

He was faintly aware of someone calling his name in the distance but he paid them no mind. He could only focus on the blonde-haired girl a few feet away from. The blonde haired girl that brightened his day with just a single word.

" _Naru's fine."_ He croaked pitifully, then everything went black.

When he woke up the second time, Naru was also awake. Despite looking perfectly fine except being extremely dirty, Sasuke could see that Naru was in pain. Probably even worse than what he felt but he knew not to voice it. The cerulean eyed girl, no matter how loudly she complained, never complained about the big things. She never complained about the things that _mattered_. Like her dislocated shoulder, or the huge gash just behind her head that was still bleeding a little, or even her fractured ankle. These were all the things he noticed about and a little more, but he never voiced them out because he knew that if he did, they would never pass the second portion of the Chuunin Exams and if Naru knew that _she_ was the reason for it, she'd never forgive herself. So, when it was time to make a plan, they made a plan. And he silently suffered her pain with her. _Both of them_. _Together and in silence_.

When it was time to move, he made sure they traveled as slowly as possible to make sure that Naru was as comfortable as she could get. He made sure that he pretended that _he_ was the one in pain. In worse pain than her so she wouldn't complain or get suspicious of the slow pace he had set.

He'd promised that he'd protect her _completely_. From any weirdos, but he'd failed and it was all he could do to make up for his broken promise. A promise that he knew he would have to break a lot more in the future because to protect her and everything she has and will ever love, he realized fully, that he had to become stronger. He had to become stronger all those before him in as little time as possible because they were shinobi and they faced danger in every second of their lives. The Chuunin Exams just proved it and it gave them a harsh slice of reality.

And if he were to become strong, he had to take any opportunity present to him. He relented that for what he was _willing_ to do and _going_ to do, the world didn't need to forgive him. He only needed one person's forgiveness. If he had that, nothing else would _ever_ compare.

And so he made a vow. He would take any opportunity to increase his strength and if the chance presented it, he would take the first one and make sure that Orochimaru would _pay_ dearly for ever messing with Team Seven! He guaranteed it, even if he had to die to see it through completion!

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think? I made it as long as possible but I probably just dragged it out. Also, this is edited and unedited. If you all read the first one that I had posted, it's still up to you to read the new and revised will be grammar and mistakes because even though I read through, I can't notice every mistake.**

 **Hoped ya'all enjoy it. This is the revised version.**

 **And please comment and review~ I WANNA KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!**


	9. Chapter 10

**A/N:**

 **Our long await chapter nine has come! Read it and enjoy and I know it's been awhile. Sorry. Nothing really interesting happens in this chapter so sorry to disappoint. I just gotta get the foundation outta the way.**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 9**

Sakura sat on her makeshift bed with a somber look. Everything had gone completely wrong in just a few days. All members of Team Seven were crushed and broken apart. Their first real defeat and they couldn't even take it.

She was disappointed in herself. During the fight with Orochimaru, the only thing she was good for was being useless. She had thought that she'd at least improved a little, but she was wrong. Her teammates were hurt, one with an unknown seal on his collar and the other one barely recovering from a fever.

Maybe it was wrong to say that the whole team was crushed. Maybe it was just her. Naruto and Sasuke had proven that they could handle foes that were leagues ahead of them. It was just her.

Sakura closed her eyes and slowly opened them. Her thoughts had taken a turn for the worse. Her low morale was affecting the whole team and she wasn't sure she had the energy to fix it.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" The pinkette slowly turned towards the familiar voice of her teammate. There was the blonde, standing in the doorway with a concerned look. His blue eyes that could rival the sun in their brightness was dimmed. The familiar excitement and mischief there was gone, replaced by something darker.

No doubt he had the same thoughts as her. "Worry about yourself, idiot." Sakura didn't bother with adding any fire to her voice. She was worn out and Naruto was not helping things any, but she was just too tired to care.

The blonde shook his head gently and walked out. It was unusual of him to do that, but Sakura didn't give it any thought. She finally got the peace and quiet she needed.

After a few more minutes of self-pitying, she got up. She was starting to feel frustrated and maybe a visit to Sasuke would make her feel better. Leaving the room, she took a turn to the left and kept on walking. Another turn to the left took her to a closed door with the word, ' _Infirmary_ ' written on it with a big kanji.

Slowly and carefully, she opened the door, wincing when it creaked loudly. The room was empty except for two people. There were twelve beds total and only four beds looked clean and neat. The other eight were crumpled and messy. Some had blood stains while the others looked like a storm had a nice stroll through it.

Bypassing the mess completely, the pinkette went for the two beds that were occupied by the two people, her teammates.

"Sasuke-kun." She greeted with a relieved smile. She ignored the hurt in Naruto's expression and focused on Sasuke's impassive ones. She was disappointed when he just gave her a once over but refused to greet her. She didn't let that deter her, though. She was made of tougher skin than that! "Are you feeling better?" And before she knew it, old habits shone through and she started gushing about how brave and awesome he was. Not that he wasn't, but she promised herself that she'd have more self-respect for herself, but it flew out the window the moment she'd laid eyes on him.

It was terrifying the effect he had on her.

"I'm gonna leave." Sakura looked up. Surprised to finally hear her blonde teammate speak. He'd been quiet the whole time and she'd almost forgotten he'd existed. "I wanna check up on dog-breath." He grinned. "Wonder if he'll be able to boast about beating any tough opponents like we did."

Surprised but happy, Sakura nodded eagerly. With Naruto gone, she'd have the raven haired boy's attention focused solely on her. It was a dream come true and she inwardly thank Naruto for it.

After the blonde left, the room was silent. Hoping her chatter would dispel the sudden coldness in the room, the pinkette started talking. She was painfully aware of Sasuke's immediate shift of mood, but she refused to give any thought to it. She hoped that she'd be enough for the raven. Hoped that he'll look at her the same way he'd look at Naruto. The boy in front of her just needed time to accept that she was the right person to pull him out of the protective shell he kept himself in. And so, she kept on talking, pretending that the phantom pain in her chest didn't bother her.

.

.

.

The moment Sakura walked into the infirmary and greeted Sasuke while ignoring her presence, Naru was assaulted with a strong wave of jealousy. It wasn't the first time she felt unimportant, but it didn't hurt any less.

For a while she was quiet, observing the two people in front of her intensely. The burning feeling she felt was just underneath her skin, threatening to explode. Any moment now, she thought with a sick fascination. The feeling increased rapidly, threatening to take her breath with it, but she stayed silent. It was something that she'd done multiple times, testing her limits till she couldn't handle it anymore.

This was what saved her, kept her strong.

Just when she felt the hateful words threatening to slip from the tip of her tongue, she excused herself. Her excuse, in all actuality wasn't very believable but she doubted her two teammates cared all that much. It wasn't as if she mattered to them, anyway.

Slipping away was easy, but finding something to do wasn't. Rolling her eyes, the blonde wandered aimlessly, hoping that her feet would take her to a purpose. She wasn't sure how long she'd been wandering the halls, but when she became aware of herself, she was in front of the infirmary room once again.

Her hands slowly reached for the knob, but she hesitated when her hands actually touched it. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face Sasuke or Kami forbid; Sakura. For what felt like minutes, she stood outside the door, her head bent, the fringes covered her beautiful blue jewels.

"How long are you planning on staying outside the door, dobe?" A monotone voice sounded out from inside the room, beckoning Naruto inside. Sighing, the blonde pushed the door open.

Right in front of her was Sasuke, the dark haired and black eyed bastard who was deadly attractive. The bastard that pushed her buttons and made her feel insignificant one moment and alive the next. The bastard who was her teammate.

"Bastard." She greeted back. She was momentarily taken aback when he took a quick step towards her. "What are you doing?" She asked. The normal venom from her voice was gone. She was just too tired and worn out. Her emotions were spent.

"Sakura's gone." The raven stated.

Naru cocked her head to the side. "So?"

"I thought you would've been ecstatic that she visited us in the infirmary, dobe." The spark of anger that the blonde thought was gone came back to life.

"It wasn't us."

"What?"

Naru rolled her eyes. "I _said_ that she didn't come to the infirmary to visit us. She came to visit you."

The raven stared at her intensely. His dark eyes seemed to see right through her. All her thoughts and intentions bare for him. "Come inside, dobe." He gave her one last look before walking back to his bed near the window.

Naruto reluctantly followed behind. However, instead of taking the bed next to the raven, she sat on the window sill, obscuring Sasuke's view of the outside.

Everything was silent for a _long_ time. Sasuke staring at her with a blank look, but she understood what it really meant. _Talk to me. Let it out._ It wasn't something that needed words. Finally fed up, she started talking.

"I'm angry." Naru blurted. The boy in front of her just stared. "I don't like Sakura _that_ way but whenever she ignores me and talks to you, it frustrates me. I'm her teammate, too! Aren't I her friend and teammate also? Why is it that you're the one she automatically sees between the two of us?"

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the emotion behind it almost made Naru lose her balance. The anger. Raw anger and filled with so much hatred that it almost made _her_ stop breathing. His eyes told the whole story. The feelings of frustration he felt when people just saw his Uchiha name. The feelings of pain when he was seen as nothing more than the boy with a pretty face. The feeling of betrayal and many more. They were mixed and all rolled into one expressive eyes.

This wasn't the first time that Sasuke had let Naruto have a peek at his innermost thoughts, but this _was_ the first time that it was so expressive and acute.

"Are you done?" The raven bit out, his voice was a low growl and it barely contained the animosity he felt, not towards her, though. When he wanted her to talk, he was probably not expecting for her to complain.

Naru lowered her head. She felt ashamed of herself. Here was Sasuke with a deep hatred and a temper that rivaled hers feeling the same things she felt, but he never complained about it. What right did she have to complain when he was suffering worst?

"I'm done." Naru whispered. The emotions rushed out of her leaving her weak and tired.

The raven managed a smile. "Go sleep, idiot."

The blond smirked. "No can do. We got a preliminary fight to head to."

Sasuke just smirked back.

.

.

.

On their way to the preliminary, Naru was chattering incessantly. It was a relief for the raven. Seeing the girl so torn up earlier was heartbreaking. The expression of hate and envy just didn't fit the bright girl. When the blonde had started speaking, he was ready to listen, but it was hard not to feel anything when everything said by her was true. He got angry at the situation.

When he'd asked her if she was done, he could see that she felt cowed and that wasn't what he was hoping to accomplish, but when he revealed to her the depths of his anger, it was hard to reign it back. To show her, he had let the emotions rise to the surface, just beneath his skin. It boiled, and it affected him, his speech. But he wasn't going to blame himself on this one. The one at fault was his other teammate.

Sakura, who'd put the blonde in that mood had Sasuke feeling murderous. The pink haired girl just couldn't do anything right! To make up for her uselessness, she should've at least been nice, but nooooo, she couldn't even do that.

"Bastard, pay attention!" Sasuke glared at the blond and turned towards the cocky genin in front of him that he'd almost run into.

It was another fellow leaf genin. Kiba, to be exact. A brunette boy from the Inuzuka clan. On top of his head was a white puppy named, Akamaru, his canine partner.

"Did the day finally come when the perfect Uchiha has become some absent minded fool?" The boy with a red tribal triangle under each eye gave a feral smirk.

"Hey! Watch what you're saying to a member to my awesome team, dog breath!" Naru snapped.

Sasuke's chest warmed up a little and he had to fight the smile that threatened to tilt his lips.

"Shut up, blondie! I thought you hated the Uchiha! Did you turn into one of his mindless drones also?" Kiba walked up to Naru and shoved his face up into hers.

Feeling insulted, Naru rammed her head against the dog lover. "Take that back, stupid!"

Sasuke flinched. That must've hurt, he thought. He let the fight continue on for a few more minutes before tripping Kiba. The boy fell flat on his face. Smirking, he stepped over the dog lover's back and glared when the boy's dog started growling at him.

He walked past Naruto and ignored Kiba's furious growl.

When the two arrived at the stadium, Sakura was already there along with the other genins who'd passed. A speech was made and the genins made their way up to the second floor. The raven was first to fight and despite wanting to battle a strong opponent, he didn't get one. What he got was a chakra sucking ninja. Throw that ability away, and he was weaker than Sakura. The fights after that was a huge blank. Kakashi had decided to whisk him away to seal the bite made by the creep, Orochimaru. The raven wasn't happy about not seeing the other fights but he figured that as long someone _worthy_ won, he'd be fine.

By the time he woke up, the preliminaries were over and they had a month to train for the third part of the Chuunin Exams. Sasuke hoped that he'd be able to face Naru when the time came. They were still rivals and he wanted Naru to know that in every aspect, the winner would always be _him_ , Sasuke Uchiha.

"It's time to go, Sasuke." The raven gave a noncommittal answer to the silver-haired man crouched on his window sill.

 _I hope you're ready to fight me, dobe._

* * *

 **A/N: Fot this chapter, I think there'll be a lot of grammatical errors. Unlike the previous chapter, I haven't reread this chapter yet. What I would like however, are reviews. SO! Please REVIEW!**

 **Please enjoy the story and review it! Writings can't improve without it.**

 **I LOVE YA!**


	10. Chapter 11 (10)

**A/N:**

 **Sorry guys, my computer broke. I only just got it back yesterday. Chapter ten is a bit rushed since I didn't want to make it seem like I'd abandoned it. Please tell me what you think about this chapter. I really need know!**

 **ENJOY THE READ!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Warning! Grammar. Excuse my grammar people.**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 10**

Where did it all go wrong, Naru thought as she stared stoically at the many faceless people that attended her jii's funeral. She had sat herself on a tree branch with a great vantage point of the grave site but far away from any prying eyes. Death wasn't foreign to her, but none had hit her as hard as this. She had only seen him a few days ago and he was perfectly fine. Where did it go so wrong?

She had no idea.

It hurt so badly, her heart. It throbbed and it felt like it was gonna come out of her chest. It didn't, though. She wished that it would, then she wouldn't have to be alone. Sakura wouldn't have any reason to hate her, Kakashi-sensei would have one less worry off his shoulders, and Sasuke wouldn't have an annoyance buzzing around his head. Everyone would be better off.

But still, she couldn't go through with ending her life. She wasn't sure what was holding her back. Maybe it was Konohamaru, or her dream of being a Hokage. She didn't know, but there was still a flickering flame. For all her bravery and boastful talk of wanting to be the strongest kunoichi alive...she failed before she even started.

When Naru blinked, the procession had already ended. People made their speech, paid their respects, and left. One by one until only she and Konohamaru was left. Tears involuntarily leaked out as Konohamaru screamed out his anger and sadness. She could relate to him. She felt the same exact way, but she knew that if she acted anything but indifferent, the villagers would not let it go. They'd scorn her for morning and mock her for feeling. She couldn't even comfort Konohamaru without the villagers calling for her blood.

 **...**

 _Naru stayed late into the night without moving. She was soaked to the bone and pale but oddly enough, she didn't feel the cold. Maybe something was wrong with her, maybe not. But it had been three days since the funeral, and it was only now that she heard the rustling of leaves coming her way. Only now that someone had noticed her missing presence. How depressing._

 _However, the person was completely unexpected._

" _Gaara," she whispered. He jumped on her branch and sat down, his eyes sharp. It no longer held the bloodthirstiness and craziness. It was clearer, now. A little sad and wistful._

" _Your teammate has gone with Orochimaru."_

 _And there was a heartbreaking feeling that left her breathless._

Naru eyes snapped open. She was no longer on a tree. Instead she was met with a pristine white ceiling and an uncomfortable bed. The familiar smell of disinfectants was in the air. She could feel a pleasant breeze coming in which meant that someone had open her window for her. She slowly sat up and looked at her surroundings.

There was no Gaara.

It was just a dream. It was true that while the funeral was held, she'd stayed for three days straight on that tree, but then she also went with Jiraiya to find the next suitable replacement for Hokage. What she found was a dried up legend. Then she was proved wrong when the dried up legend fought aside her. Then everything went blank. There was also the dream, overlapping with her memories, making it seem like she was still there on the tree. Coinciding with her reality. It hurt her head to make any sense of it.

Naru closed her eyes and tried to remember how she got to the hospital again. The last place she remembered being was on a tree branch or was it being in a battle with Kabuto? She wasn't sure. Her head was a bit messed up at the moment. Then everything was like an empty void. So much for being a ninja, she thought with a snort. She couldn't even remember how she got to the hospital.

A little irritated at herself, Naru ripped out her IV cords and looked around for any clean clothes. She had to get out of the hospital. It had too many fresh memories. Memories she couldn't handle at the moment.

Naru surrendered to wearing the hospital gown after a few minutes of fruitless searching. She walked over to the open window and was getting ready to jump on the window sill when her door slammed open with a panicked Sakura in tow. The girl was a mess, eyes watery, clothes rumpled, and her hair stuck everywhere.

Naru was about to ignore her. She didn't have energy to deal with her teammate. Naru climbed the window sill and closed her eyes as she got ready for a free fall. But she stopped short at Sakura's frightened voice calling for her name.

It wasn't just fright that made Naru stop, though. It was the fear, the heartstopping, unadulterated fear, that made Naru immediately stop in her tracks. Naru knew immediately that, whatever it was, it wasn't for her. It was for Sasuke. However, at that moment, she didn't really care that it wasn't for her. Both were her teammates and if Sakura was going to panic over him this much then it had to be serious.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" She asked. She walked closer as Sakura struggled to let the words out. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" she repeated firmly.

Sakura lifted her head up and looked at Naru with a bone-chilling look.

" _Orochimaru has Sasuke."_

.

.

.

.

Valley of the End, what a fitting name, Naru thought. There was certainly _something_ that Sasuke wanted to end and she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop it. Despite using Kyuubi's power, Sasuke was still winning. She couldn't find any way to make him return other than beating him to a pulp. She was determined to do that, but her body wasn't on the same page as her. It was weakening with every blow that Sasuke dealt.

The chakra the raven used on her seemed to have corrosive effects on her. It was like poison, spreading and tearing at the defenses that Kyuubi put in place which meant that she wasn't just fighting Sasuke, she was also fighting the residue of chakra that Sasuke left whenever he landed a blow. She didn't think she'd last much longer if she wanted to count on her stamina and endless energy.

"Let me go, dobe!" Her raven haired teammate yelled furiously as they landed blows on each other.

"I will not!" She screamed as she deflected a kick.

"You don't understand, dobe! You've never had a family! You don't know the pains of losing one!" Naru ignored the stab in her heart that Sasuke's remark caused.

"I might not understand, but I understand that it's wrong to abandon people you care about just for power!" She flipped away from him and landed on a stone head.

"I won't get the power I need from Konoha!" Sasuke growled as her kicked her chest.

Naru blocked and flipped back on the stone head of the first Hokage. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. She had a bad nash on her forehead and it wasn't healing as usual since Kyuubi's chakra was focused on fighting Sasuke's corrupted chakra. Her sight was also getting blurry and she knew she didn't have much time before she'd pass out.

"Let's end this, then. One big blow." Naru knew that Sasuke would take the bait, she just hoped that she'd be able to fuse enough power into the Rasengan to knock Sasuke out.

"You won't win." Sasuke sneered as he formed a perfect Chidori.

Naru bared her teeth angrily as she formed her own technique. Both ran towards each other but Naru hesitated. At the last moment, she changed the direction of the Rasengan. She was naive to think that a Rasengan would knock anyone out. It was much more destructive than that. It would've killed Sasuke, broken all his bones and left him nothing more than a bloody mess. She wasn't about to do that to Sasuke. He still had people that loved and cared for him.

Naru closed her eyes as the Rasengan's energy slammed back though her arm and gritted her teeth as the destructive energy travel through her it and broke the bones.

Naru's last thought before she lost consciousness was, ' _I guess I wasn't as determined as him_ '.

.

.

.

.

Sasuke widened his eyes as Naru crushed the Rasengan back into her hands. He wasn't quick enough to redirect the Chidori, and his heart stopped when it was plunged straight to Naru's chest. Sasuke knelt on the first Hokage's head over Naru's fallen form. His could feel his heart thudding loudly in his chest.

" _Naru…_ " He whispered as his transformation faded away. She didn't responded and the tears he held at bay came flooding out. "Naru…" He whispered the name like a mantra. He covered her blood-gushing chest with his hands and pressed on it. "Don't die! Please live!" He cried as he pushed on her chest in hopes of restarting her heart. "You promised me that you would do anything for me, remember? A ninja never goes back on their promises, right?" His voice cracked. "You said you'd do anything! I want you to live! You can't go back on that promise, dobe! _You promised_!"

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he'd begged for her to breathe or pushed on her chest, but he knew it was a long time. He'd cried for help, for anyone to come, but no one did. He sat there, now, with his bangs covering his face. His Konoha headband was gone. Fell beside Naru when they'd landed on the stone head.

He finally gave up and got up, then that's when he saw it. The rise and fall of Naru's chest. It was weak and it came out slowly then it got stronger. Soon after, he also noticed the fluttering of her eyes, and a twitch of her fingers. He immediately knelt down again. First his face was an expression of hope and disbelief, then it turned into a relieved smile.

" _Dobe…_ " He said with a happy laugh. He grabbed her head and cradled it, pressing his face into her wet hair. "I'll come back to Konoha one day." He started. "It might not be in three years, but I'll come back. Just make sure that you stay alive long enough to see that happen."

The raven haired boy gently put her down. He brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and smiled. Kakashi was coming, he knew. If he didn't leave, now, he wouldn't have anymore chances. He took a step forward before stopping with a worried frown. He turned around and glared at the fallen form of Naru.

"Don't fall in love with Gaara." He said and just as quickly as he'd stopped, he also left. This time with a red face and the troubled look gone.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was that. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Some of you might and some of you might not. However, thanks for giving it a chance, anyway.**

 **So, yeah, things happened like the death of the Sandaime and Tsunade coming back to the village. It wasn't said in too many words (Tsunade coming back), though and it was almost like you had to squint to see it. Still, I'm confirming it happened.**

 **This, I know is very crucial since it either destroys Naru or makes her, so I was wondering what you guys thought of it. She seems to have some suicidal tendencies and very low self-esteem.**

 **If you can, please COMMENT. Review the story and tell me what ya thought. An in depth one, preferably, if not then that's ok too. Still, I do need a** **review** **. So, COMMENT & REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter (11)

**A/N:**

 **Wow! The last chapter was all over the place, huh? But we all got the point right? The funeral happened and she went with Jiraiya to retrieve Tsunade. But she got knocked out against the fight with Kabuto. When she woke up, she was confused over the memories. They weren't organized so she remembered the funeral, her dream, the retrieval and they were all overlapping. Then Sasuke defected and they fought, she lost and we see the Uchiha's true feelings shining through. But not Naruto. She has no idea what happened after she got knocked out. OKAY! EXPLANATION DONE!**

 **PLEASE ENJOY THE READ!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Warning! Grammars**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 11**

Naru felt shitty. Yes, she was going to be coarse because technically, she was a guy in the eyes of her peers. The only people people who knew were the late Hokage, Sasuke, and now Tsunade. What a great track record, right? One was dead, the other defected, and the last was a drunkard. Now, she wasn't even sure if her secret was even a secret, anymore. She could count on the late man Hokage because—bad as this sounds—the old man was dead. He couldn't tell anybody. She could _probably_ count on Tsunade, because she–uh, she was. Well, she...maybe not 'cause she couldn't even come up with an excuse to trust her. And Sasuke? No idea. It was probably leaning towards a ' _no_ ' because hey! He'd betrayed the village that he grew up in _and_ her trust so, yeah. No.

But to why she felt shitty. She'd just woken up from a coma and she was mentally and physically beat. She couldn't eat her favorite foods, she couldn't get up since her legs were jelly, and there was a huge scar on her chest. It was ugly and repulsive. The skin around it was wrinkled looking and gnarly. She could _feel_ the uneven textures every time the fabrics of her clothes brushed against it.

She hated it.

It was a constant reminder of what she'd failed to do. She was hoping that over time, it would fade. To tell the truth, she liked her unmarked body, thank you very much! It wasn't about being vain. For Kami's sake! Nobody even got to see her naked—not completely naked, anyway.

Naru shook her head and eased her way out of bed. She'd been trying for the last two days with no success. She was hoping that it would be different today. She wanted to get out of the hellhole people called a hospital. The smells hurt her head and the whiteness of her room drove her mad. She needed to leave and enjoy the sun—breathe in the fresh air that Konoha offered.

And no one had visited her. Not Sakura, her only teammate left and definitely not the rest of their ragtag gang of geniuses. Not that the lack of company bothered her. At least, not presently, anyway. It was just—the lacked of movement was killing her. And it was all going to end today, she told herself.

She finally got out of the bed but as soon as her foot reached the floor, her legs gave away. She collapsed in a heap. Naru's eyes started to water involuntarily. She wanted to leave! She was tired of the hospital! There weren't any good memories here! Her Oji-san's body was held here after his death and memories of his visits engulfed her like tidal wave. She needed to leave before it consumed her.

Slowly and painstakingly, she got up on wobbly legs. She waited a moment before taking baby steps towards the barred window. Clearly whoever put her in her current room knew her very well. It didn't stop her from walking in that direction, though. With uncertain steps, she finally stopped in front of the window. She gave it a curious look before summoning a clone. She gave it a, ' _duh_ ' look that said that the clone should know what she expected from it.. The clone gave her a sassy eye roll before turning into a kunai.

The blonde girl smirked. Did they really think they could keep her in a locked room? Preposterous! Naru gripped the kunai tightly and slashed at the metal barring her escape. It fell away with little to no resistance. She grinned. She could feel her strength coming back to her now. She was confident that she could at least make the jump. When the obstacle in front of her was significantly reduced, she climbed on the edge of the window and jumped.

For a split second, she felt an unconditional fear. What if she couldn't make the jump? What if she was too weak? What if she broke her legs in the process? _What if_? Those thoughts swirled around in her head, taunting her. But she gritted her teeth painfully and shoved the irrational fear away. She was in control of herself. This was not the first reckless thing she'd done and it would not be her last.

She landed on a roof with a loud thud and internally cringed. She was usually much more graceful and silent. Quickly she gathered her bearings and ran. She went straight to the Valley of the End. She wanted to see the damage done.

When she got there, she was panting heavily. The scar on her chest burned like it had been doused in scalding hot water. She ignored it for the scene ahead of her: The Valley of the End. There, that had been the place that she'd fought with Sasuke. It was a complete mess. Madara the statue no longer had a head complete with destruction caused to the surrounding area.

The First Hokage's statue wasn't doing any better. A whole arm was cut off and there was a hole where one eye had been. Trees lay scattered surrounding the landscape. The debris laid everywhere. There wasn't one untouched area or broken rocks. The water, which had been so clear and beautiful before, was murky with dirt. It weaved around the giant splittered head of Madara and Hashirama's arm.

Naru gasped at the damaged. A whole historical site was leveled because of their fight!

She gingerly made her way around the rubble and made her way to the First Hokage's head. She stood over it and looked down. Here, she felt infinite. There was no beginning and no end. She could pretend that the battle with her raven haired teammate didn't happen. She could pretend that he didn't try to kill her. She could pretend that she wasn't hurt—that Sasuke didn't sever any bond between them. She could pretend that she was okay—that _everything_ was okay.

She took in a deep breath and let the feelings flow through her. The regret, fear, anger, hurt, pain, disappointment. All the negative emotions that lay swirling within her in a chaotic mess—threatening to tear her to pieces and consume her whole. She let it flow like a stream of river. It was violent and it thrashed against her, but she ignored it.

Pulling all her emotions to the surface all at once was destructive, but she wanted to feel them. The pain they inflicted on her was welcoming.

When the sun rolled down from the sky, she was still on the First Hokage's head, exhausted. She was watched the sun fall silently. It was chilly now since summer had long passed. She'd been in a coma for three months. The blonde had missed a lot of things during her unwelcomed coma.

A few hours after midnight, she'd fallen asleep, shivering against the cold as it whispered it's cold breath over the blonde's fragile form. Her thin hospital gown offered no protection against the chilly night air's persistence.

Her trembling form was a pathetic sight to see, but lucky for her, no one was around to witness her moment of vulnerability. The area bare of any human soul except for hers. And so Naru slept through the night, haunted by things outside of her control.

In the morning when she woke, her skin was pale as snow and cold as ice. She was soaked in morning dew, but nothing had ever looked as pretty to her as it did in that moment. She felt refreshed—free. Her guilt and her burden weren't gone. They were still there, but they didn't weigh as heavily. Maybe it was because she was so far from everyone. She was alone and there wasn't anyone to expect things of her or demand it.

She didn't have to be happy all the time. She could be sad without someone thinking how weird she was for being anything but exuberant. She could be a little smart without her peers thinking she'd got hit in the head. She wasn't lying about her personality, but there was more to her than the excitable idiot everyone thought she was. Everyone had layers to them, but no one bothered to pull hers off. To everyone else, she only had one layer.

She wasn't really pitying herself. This was the truth and she did feel a little bit bitter at the cards she was handed, but at that one moment in time, it all peeled away into calmness and serenity. That was what the morning on top of the First Hokage's head did to her.

Naru stayed late into the afternoon before leaving.

…

"Wait up, gaki!" Jiraiya watched with hidden trepidation when Naruto turned his head around and stomped his foot with irritation.

Then'd been traveling for a whole month already and Jiraiya was waiting for the brat become more comfortable with their dynamic. The blonde boy hid it well, but if there was anything Jiraiya was known for, it would be for his perceptiveness. The boy was holding himself at a distance. It wasn't noticeable, but the Toad Sage couldn't help feeling like he was alone. The blonde laughed and made jokes. They slept around the campfire and argued but the old man still felt lonely. He felt like everything he'd done with the gaki...Jiraiya, alone was the participant. It might as well have been him arguing with himself or laughing by himself.

But he tried to be patient. The boy came under a stressful time. His best friend went rogue and tried to kill him. He stayed in the hospital with no sick visits from anyone. All his peers were too busy sulking in their own despair and self guilt to realize that one of their own was fighting a battle of survival all by himself. The ones that couldn't be counted were the ones that were also in the hospital with him.

And so, Jiraiya decided to take him away. It hurt the white haired man to see his godson forsaken like that. Jiraiya could relate personally to how the blonde gaki felt. He'd been there. Admittedly, his own might've been less painful, but it was the same nonetheless. They were both orphans who knew nothing of their birth parents. They were both looked down on by their peers, ignored and hated by their crush, and overshadowed by a member of their team. And the last one, both had teammates that defected.

It was hard to convince Naruto to leave, though. Anyone would've thought that the boy would've been eager, but he wasn't. The blonde had his own reservations and Jiraiya wasn't entitled to the 'why' of it. It took every bit of his persuasion skills to make the boy agree and to the white haired man's astonishment, the tempting idea of getting stronger wasn't a very strong factor in persuading the blonde.

Actually, there weren't any winning factors to getting the boy to agree to his idea. But when Naruto appeared before him with a heartbroken look on the morning that Jiraiya was supposed to depart, all the smug and gloating he'd prepared in case the boy appeared, died. Instead, his own heart ached strongly and he'd never felt like he wanted to cry as much as that one moment made him.

They just silently departed.

Till now, the man didn't know what caused that look and he was partly glad that he wasn't privy to the information. He was sure that he'd kill the person in cold blood just for putting that expression on his dearly beloved godson.

"Gaki…" Jiraiya started with his hands raised. "You were—"

"You've dragged your feet all morning!" Naruto started with his hands placed on his hips. "And you have the _gall_ to ask me to wait for you?! We're not even going particularly fast! As a matter of fact, we're not going _fast_ at all! All we are doing is wandering around in foreign lands matching to the speed of a snail. That would be _understandable_ if we were civilians, _but we're not_!" Naruto glared at Jiraiya and panted harshly.

"Uh…"

" _Are we continuing_?" Naruto snapped, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Y-yes!" Jiraiya squeaked with with fear.

With a huff, the boy turned on his heels and started walking again. This was another thing Jiraiya had to deal with: the boy's uncontrollable temper. The Toad Sage had always thought that Naruto's temper tantrums would be cute and quite amusing.

He was wrong.

THe blondie's temper was like a hurricane. It was strong and versatile, leaving you fearful and weak.

Jiraiya wisely stayed silent and it stayed that way for a whole year. Not silent silent, but _wisely_ silent because Jiraiya could _never_ be completely quiet.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright! Nothin' in'eres'in 'appin but it'll. LOL. Next Chapter will feature Sasuke. It'll be a year, year and a half, of two years time skip. Not sure yet. I'll update it a year from now, okay?**

 **KIDDING!**

 **Buuuuut! If you'll comment on this chapter, the next update could come as early as tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Here, we'll set a minimum that'll motivate me to updating this week. So my review is 69. Turn it into 80 or more. So I need 11 people to comment.**

 **Accept the CHALLENGE! READY! SET! GO!**

 **Haha. I LOVE YA! Even if we don't reach 80 reviews, I'll still update by next week. But I really want this, though :(**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**

… **.I hate you guys. I didn't think you all would be this motivated. I'm a little scared of you guys right now... Haha! Still, I present you the next chapter.**

 **Oh! I was wondering if any of my reviewers are male? *wiggles eyebrows* Wanna come out in the open so I can pounce on you? LOL!**

 **PLEASE ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Warning! Grammars. Always. I'm not perfect in my writing. I should seriously find myself a beta..*sighs***

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 12**

"If you stare at _one_ more girl while we're in the village…" Jiraiya gulped fearfully at Naruto.

"I-it was just doing r-research." The Spy Master stuttered with a racing heart.

"What research allows you to blatantly stare at a girl's body?" The blonde boy asked, his cerulean eyes shined beautifully.

"I wasn't! Not really…" Jiraiya mumbled. "Brat! I can do whatever I want!"

"I've been forced to help write your book and you _do not_ need to stare at every single beautiful girl that walks past us to give you an idea. If you're looking for a hot and steamy sex scene then staring at someone who's clothes are _fully_ on would give you the complete opposite affect! SO, don't give me your abysmal excuse and _walk_!" Naruto hissed.

The long haired man wasn't sure _why_ he was letting himself get bullied by a snot nosed brat. He was an adult! And not even a weak willed one _and_ he wasn't even really looking!. It was completely ridiculous how the little boy in front of him managed to frighten him into squeaking. _He didn't even squeak in front of Tsunade_! One of these days, he was going to stand up against the brat then the stupid sun kissed hair on top of his head can turn wilted and ugly.

Jiraiya blinked rapidly. What the heck was he saying? It didn't even make sense. But he was. He was going to stand up against the blonde _t-thing_ in front of him! He was going to do it looking cool and he would internally laugh was the little boy flopped his mouth open with nothing to say.

" _I've had enough of you acting like you're the one in charge,"_ he'd say.

" _What are you talking about?"_ The blonde shrimp would reply.

Then Jiraiya would put him in his place! " _You're under my protection so stop acting all high and mighty. You've only managed to step all over me because I_ allowed _you to, but I won't anymore! From now on, we'll do things_ my _way."_

Yes! He could see this happening. Jiraiya opened his mouth. "Y-you—"

"If you have something then spit it out." Jiraiya could feel his mouth going dry. The look in Naruto's eyes were bright and expectant. The long haired man caved.

"Nothing." At that, Naruto nodded and started walking again.

Jiraiya was going to stand up against her tomorrow! He wasn't going to live in fear!

As the days passed, Jiraiya had forgotten all about his resolution against Naruto. Instead he was occupied by something completely different. He didn't know how it happened or why it happened, but for some reason, there had been a few bloody stains on the blankets. And he couldn't see any injury that could've caused it. It wasn't a huge stain, so he wasn't really worried.

He held the blanket up with a twig he'd for inspection. It was the third time this month that it had happened. It didn't come from him, he knew that. He wasn't injured. So the only possible suspect would be the blonde gaki. But to his knowledge, the boy wasn't injured either. Perhaps he should tell the gaki and put whatever was causing the bloody stains behind them?

The white haired man nodded. Yes, he'll tell the gaki if the boy hadn't noticed already.

He got up from and tentatively held the blanket away from him. "Yellow haired brat! I found something suspicious."

Naruto, who was crouching over the impromptu fire he just created, looked up. His gaze landed on Jiraiya and then it followed the outstretched arm to the twig and finally to the blanket. "What?"

"I found a bloody stain on it _again_."

" _What_?" Jiraiya frowned at Naruto's mouse like squeak. The boy's face was becoming pale.

"Yeah, it's been the third time this has happened. It's weird, you know? It kind of reminds me of the time Tsunade first got her period. I've never seen Orochimaru so freaked out before! He literally fainted. _Literally_! His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell like a freaking statue!" Jiraiya laughed. "Tsunade was soooo embarrassed and insulted. But your reaction is almost like Orochi-baka!"

Naruto kept quiet. "Point is," Jiraiya continued when he'd gotten his guffaws under control, "this reminds me of someone having their period. But I don't know of any animal that just does this, so let's put our heads together and figure out what's causing this!"

"You are saying," Naruto started in a trembling voice, "that we should do a stakeout?"

"What's wrong with you, gaki?" Jiraiya frowned.

"N-nothing." The boy took a deep breath.

The the older man frowned and walked away, muttering under his breath. He thought that the hyperactive child would be excited for an impromptu excitement like this. It wasn't like they had excitement all the time so of something popped up then they should take advantage of it. Their careers didn't guarantee them a long life span so they had to live life to the fullest even if it meant chasing after their blood-staining-blanket mystery.

But really, something was weird about his blood apprentice. Ever since the he'd forced the blonde to grow his hair, he'd taken to looking more like a girl (Jiraiya was surprised that it took only a month to make the blonde agree to his outrageous demand). Of course, there were many male ninjas that looked female. Take the Yellow Flash. His late apprentice could've been mistaken for a girl if it were for his haircut and lack of chest. Of course, if you looked _really_ closely, you'd think that Orochimaru was a girl, also. A very flat chested girl, but a girl nonetheless.

The man sighed. Was he cursed to be surrounded by good looking people?

But the gaki really looked like a girl...especially since the hair reached mid back. It framed his gorgeous face cutely and if they messed the hair a bit...Well, his protegee was going to break hearts. Girls and boys alike.

Jiraiya giggled. Maybe he should write a story featuring his godson whose beauty was unmatched by any and broke many hearts in his path to saving a friend. Yes...he was going to do that.

"Gaki!" He called out from across the clearing. "I'm have to go back to Konoha for a report. Wanna come?" The idiotic man crossed his fingers behind his back. Don't come, he begged.

"You know my answer. I'm not going back till the training trip is over." The blonde answered, giving the older man the stink eye for even entertaining the thought.

Jiraiya nodded, careful not to show his excitement. He was going to write a novel that rivaled no others! "I'll be back next month then we'll start our investigation."

Naruto nodded and packed his bags. For the remainder of the month, he'd have to fend for himself. He didn't mind, though. It was great training.

 **...**

For Naru, a whole year and a half passed.

And she was not looking forward to the next six months. Then again, who would be looking forward to it? Definitely nobody _she_ knew. Being away from the village had taught her independence and she enjoyed it. For example, she could go wherever she liked and no one could say anything about it. Except maybe Jiraiya, but he was...her temper scared him a little. She'll leave it at that.

After a whole year of traveling with Naru, her godfather (she found _that_ out! She wanted to wring his neck!) had bugged her to grow out her hair. Not voluntarily on her part, obviously. She had no idea what brought that on. As far as she knew, he thought she was a boy. She had entertained the thought that maybe Tsunade had told him, but she threw that out of the window. The man was completely clueless. Take like what happened earlier that morning when he'd found the stain(she hated being a girl). So, she'd rejected the idea every time he brought it up till she couldn't anymore. Her godfather was persistent when he wanted something. He begged her every day. In the mornings, afternoons, nights...in public! He'd make a whole scene out of it and embarrassed her till she was spewing smoke from her ears.

She finally agreed when he'd asked her at Haku's grave. It was a low blow, but she'd been too tired to say no. She'd remembered her first friend's gentle nature. His long, beautiful hair and she couldn't keep saying no anymore.

She didn't know what reasons Jiraiya had for asking her to grow out her hair. It might've been for some stupid reason that'd make her livid if she was privy to it. Or it could've been something sentimental and _that_ she could accept. But long hair, she was starting to learn, was very hard to keep up with. It grew too fast, tangled too much, got in the way too many times, and it irritated her. It had to be tied when she ate, trained, _slept_.

For a moment, she thought of secretly cutting off her hair. She'd get the satisfaction of seeing Jiraiya's jaw drop, but then she'd also have to deal to him being in constant gloom. She'd observed that when Jiraiya wanted something from her, there was only two things he did: beg and sulk. He'd switch between the two, making the atmosphere unbearable.

Naru shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was traveling alone at the moment. Jiraiya had left her to give a report to Konoha. He'd find her when he was done. For the moment, the blonde was going to relish in her bliss of being alone.

She grabbed a change of clothes and headed towards a waterfall that she'd spotted the last time she and her godfather had traveled in the area. When she got there, it was as beautiful as she remembered it to be. Wildflowers of all colors grew around the edges of the waterfall, adding to the beauty. The water was clear and beautiful, reflecting like crystals under the hot sun. The rocks surrounding it were smooth instead of jagged, making the walk to the pool that much easier. There was no one for miles which made it perfect for Naru. She could spend the whole day in the water without anyone to bother her. It was just perfect.

The blonde stripped down till she was completely naked. She put in a tentative foot and slowly eased it in. She sat on the warm rocks for a moment before slipping into the water. It was cool to the touch which relieved her from the sun bearing down on her. She sighed blissfully. With her godfather, she could never do things like this. He wouldn't sink so low as to peek on her but, occasionally, he'd get worried if she took too long. So, she'd just wash herself and go.

But now…

Now, she could relax. She could take as long as she wanted and no one would come looking for her.

She dipped her head in to cool her head. She'd grown over the past year. She was a little bit taller and her body had become curvier. Her chest was much, _much_ more prominent and it got just that much harder to hide. Even under all the wraps she used, a little bit still showed through and it was so hard to breath in. Her orange jacket hid a lot and she was extremely grateful for it. There were many times she'd have been exposed if it hadn't it been for its bulky size.

Naruto grabbed one breast and massaged it. It was sore after all the hiding it had done. It was a relief to get out of those bandages. She could breath more freely now. Naru frowned when she caught sight of the scar on her chest. It had gotten so much better. It wasn't as ugly anymore. The texture was even and it had turn white. The one and only imperfection on her body. Her eyes trailed down to her breasts.

They were really big. And they hurt a lot, too. She could never understand why Sakura kept on talking about getting a bigger chest. As far as she could see, it didn't seem like too many guys went for boobs anyway. A lot of the male population went for looks (and she was severely lacking in the looks department). The chest size was irrelevant except when it came to her godfather. The chest size was _really_ relevant!

It made her wonder, how was Sasuke. He'd been so tormented when he'd left that she honestly had no hope left for him. Then she woke up in a hospital bed alive. She remembered the shock that flickered so prominently when she'd dispelled her Rasengan and if she didn't imagine it, she also saw fear.

But how was he? Did he get a huge growth spurt? Did Orochimaru experimented on him or was the snake just really, honestly training him? Was he happy? Did he like being so far away from his home and his friends? Did he think about them and did he miss them?

Did...did he grow into the looker that everyone expected for him to grow into? It's only been a year for her and she'd grown a lot. Was it the same for him too? Before the raven had left, she had thought that they were friends. He'd kept her secret without expecting anything from her and he didn't treat her any different for it. He hadn't been disgusted that she'd gone around dressed in male clothes and basically denied her own gender.

The connection was there, she knew but it might've been buried too deep. It was their friendship that kept him from taking her life. When she'd woken up from the hospital, she'd felt miserable but she felt comforted. When she was finally discharged, she'd found Sasuke's headband and a purple hyacinth on her table top. She had no idea who'd given them to her and she couldn't even begin to guess. She hoped it was Sasuke because it meant that she hadn't lost him completely, yet.

Naru's eyes fluttered shut. She was tired but between the sun and the water, she was getting sleepy. She fought the call half-heartedly but soon, it got too tempting to resist.

…

Sasuke walked through the forest quietly and gracefully. Time with Orochimaru had made him much more appreciative of the little things. There was so little that he could enjoy that he'd become grateful of the things he _did_ have.

This was one of the rare moments that he'd get to himself. It was good. He could freely think without Orochimaru's minions sneering at his weakness. He didn't have to worry about anyone following him since. After Sasuke had killed some on their ' _Sasuke-spying'_ mission, Orochimaru had reluctantly called his dogs back. Sasuke was grateful.

Life with the snake was tough. He had to show that he was the strongest all the time. There was a hierarchy in the snake's lair that guaranteed only the strongest survive. He couldn't show any type of weakness, not that he did. His weakness could protect herself.

That brought a gentle smile on the raven's usual stoic face. It was a beautiful sight to see. His dark eyes softened and his hard face relaxed. He looked at peace. It was unusual for him to smile the way that he was currently doing. But thoughts of Naru had never failed to bring it there. She was certainly his weakness. Whenever she was at the forefront of his thoughts, all motivation to kill Itachi disappeared and he was so tempted to just leave Orochimaru. But it wasn't easy.

He shoved that negative thought aside and let it wander over to the blonde haired tomboy. How was she, he wondered. Had she grown any? The last time they'd been together, their height difference was phenomenal! She'd only been at his chest! Maybe she didn't grow much, he thought. Then he chuckled. If he'd grown then the blonde girl had definitely grown. She hated being left behind and this was no different.

Sasuke made his way to the beautiful sound of birds chirping and the sound of water falling. He broke away from the branches that hid the site from view. Orochimaru had many bases but this one was Sasuke's favorite. There was a waterfall here that the other bases did not have. The rave stopped for a moment and took in the full site. It was beautiful. Wildflowers grew around it giving the place a magical look. The water falling reflected against the sun looking like beautiful jewels. A large rainbow curved over the whole place. The water pooling at the base was clear and blue. Beautiful but it couldn't compare to Naru's eyes.

He went closer and took his clothes off. He slipped into the cool water and waddled his way to the middle. The water wasn't too deep for him. Even the deepest part of the water only reached up to his neck. Sasuke sighed blissfully. He looked around him and frowned. Did he feel his blonde teammate's chakra? He stayed still.

There!

It wasn't just his imagination. The raven blindly followed the string of chakra and ended up in the shallow part near the banks. His eyes widened when he saw blonde hair floating under the water. Without thinking, moved against the water and wrapped his arms around the owner of the blonde hair. He dragged her onto the bank. She was completely motionless.

It was like the Valley of the End all over again. He pressed on her chest and blew air in her mouth. Sasuke waited with baited breathe after his fourth try. He was starting to lose hope when the girl coughed. Water came out of her mouth and she turned to her side. Sasuke moved back into the water, keeping close in case she needed help.

He took that moment to observe the girl. She was completely naked. Her hair was long and she had a very curvy body. Her skin was sun kissed it glittered beautifully under the sun. His eyes trailer up and he turned bright red. He'd seen many naked girls in orochimaru's lair. It wasn't a foreign concept to him, but he'd never felt interested. They didn't make his heart go _pitter-patter_. His face didn't flame when he came face to face with their bare chest, big or small. He only felt disgusted.

But _her_...Naru Uzumaki made his whole being come alive. Because that face was Naru's. The soul sucking cerulean blue eyes. The same pouty pink lips that he'd kissed. The same cat-like scars on either side of her cheeks. The same heart-stopping, breath-taking, enchanted face that was personally kissed by the sun. The same face that could make him do whatever she wanted with single smile. The same eyes that made his knees go weak and locked him in place.

And she had grown very deliciously, if Sasuke might add. Her chest was definitely bigger than what it had been when they'd been at the academy, not that she let him look. She was lean as was with most shinobi. There was a white scar above her left breast and he knew instantly that it was because of him. He'd left that mark on her flawless body. His chest constricted and lungs closed in. He felt guilty and shame hit him all at once.

He was lucky if she forgave him.

"The hell?" Naru croaked. Her voice had gotten softer and more feminine but it had the sexy husky sound to it that made his mouth water.

What the hell was wrong with him?!

" _Naru_." He whispered in disbelief.

The blonde's eyes landed on him immediately with a startled look. In an instant, it changed to incredulity. " _Sasuke-teme_?!" Wow, thought Sasuke, she added the 'teme' part.

The blonde blinked rapidly before her face turned into a full blown grin that was so like her that Sasuke's lips tilted into a smile. Before he could process it, the blonde had launched herself at him. Eyes wide, Sasuke's arms raised to catch her without his permission and everything processed at once.

They were both completely naked.

He could feel her breasts tightly pressed against his chest.

His arms were wrapped tight around her waist while hers were around his neck.

Her lips were touching his neck.

It felt _really_ good.

Sasuke knew that this was the moment that he was supposed to push her away and tell her to screw off (pun intended. lol). But instead, his head buried itself into her hair and inhaled her unique scent. It was the smell of storm and wildflowers. Sweet and intoxicating and all of his ill-feelings from earlier disappeared in the blink of an eye. Or in his case, it disappeared in one smell of her scent.

"Sasuke." His blonde whispered when she pulled away abruptly. "Y-you…" She took a deep breath. "Let's go back to Konoha."

And in a split second, everything shattered. _Of course_ she would ask that. And of course she forgave him. She couldn't hold a grudge for too long.

He pushed her away and waddled past her and heaved himself on a rock, only to be pulled back down. "Bastard! You're _naked_!" The girl in front of him squeaked with a flamed face.

Sasuke slowly turned around and raised an eyebrow. The water stopped a little lower than his hips, but for her, it stopped at a little below her belly button. It gave him a great view of her full, plump breasts that stood up proud and perky. Her pink nipples were hard and rosy pink, he realized with a lust- filled gaze.

He wanted to touch them.

Naru gave herself a glance and it took her a moment to perceive that she was also in the same state as her former teammate. She was mortified. Her eyes flickered over to Sasuke and she slowly lowered herself into the water and pretended her nudity didn't bother her. She was _very_ bothered by it.

She gave Sasuke a quick assessment. He _had_ grown and into a heartbreaker no less. He was pale with smooth skin that would've made Sakura drool if she'd seen it. His abs were much more prominent now, sculptured and defined. He was still lean and still as toned as she'd last seen him. The raven in front of her was much taller also, his hair was longer and the duck-butt look alike that was his hair was no longer that noticeable. She allowed her eyes to flicker back up to his. They were dark, his eyes. It was captivating and would've captivated her also if she wasn't so humiliated at their situation.

"Do _not_ try to fight with me today, Dobe. I don't want to do it naked." Naruto's face flushed red at his innuendo.

She nodded hesitantly. She wouldn't, not while they were both naked. Even she could see how stupid that would be, but it they'd get dressed eventually. She'd fight him then.

"Tell me, Teme, did you enjoy yourself? Getting _raped_ by snakes every night?" Naruto snapped, her anger returned to her.

Sasuke choked and submerged himself in the water while the blonde hummed in satisfaction. "For your information, _Dobe_ , you're inferring that I'm inferior to those mindless reptiles, but I'm not."

"So you say," Naru hissed, "but you still ran off with one!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes angrily at the insinuation that he ran off with Orochimaru to elope. "Don't be jealous that you weren't invited, Dobe."

It was the blonde's turn to narrow her eyes. "As if I'd want to come in between you and your happily ever after."

"And yet you did." The beauty in front of him ignored that.

"Tell me, what comes next? Another dead Uchiha? As if there weren't enough of that already. Then what? Repopulated your clan? Are you going to drag some innocent girl into it, too?"

The raven gritted his teeth. He forgot how frustrating she was. "What's it matter to you?"

Naru glared at him. He always had a way to turn a conversation away from him. "Clearly my opinions don't matter. Nor does Sakura or the rest our classmates matter."

Sasuke closed his eyes and ignored her. She hit a little close to home. He heard the water rustle as she got up. He figured that she leaving. He ignored the panic feeling that told him to beg her to stay.

"Hey, Sasuke." The raven opened his eyes and suppressed the shock he felt at her bold move. She caged him and her face hovered over his. His eyes traveled to her pink lips and he wanted to kiss them again. How different would they feel between their academy days and now? And he desperately wanted to hold her.

It seems, he'd cornered himself into a strange circumstance.

"What?"

"What would force you to give up your revenge and your hatred? Is there nothing anyone could do to relieve you of those feelings?" She whispered solemnly.

Sasuke's heart was beating loudly and fast against his chest.

"Yes." He whispered dumbly.

Naru leaned back, straddling his thighs in the process. Sasuke groaned as his bottom half reacted eagerly to her. He shook his head to clear the fog away. He hated how easy it was for her to control him.

"Yes? _Yes_?!" The girl grinned. "Well? What can this person do for you? Whoever it is, I'll find him or her and annoy them till they agree to do what you ask." Sasuke pushed her off of him and got up. His waist was still covered by the water so he ignored her gasp. He had to leave before he lost control of himself. If they were a little older, he wouldn't have minded too much, but they were much too young to be doing anything indecent. Even if they had the grown body for it.

"In two years, I will return to Konoha, if you want it so much." Naru's eyes widened. "In return, you and your Hokage will agree to the demands I make _and_ give me a full pardon."

"It's too dangerous for me to say yes and it's not in my place to agree. Even I know that much." The blonde protested. "You could ask to be Hokage or to kill someone, or something. But how about you came back without demanding anything?"

Sasuke scoffed and waddle past her to his clothes and she followed behind him. He didn't speak again till he was fully dressed, uncaring of the blonde. "One demand _you_ have to agree to. The other demand already belongs to me."

"What do you mean I have to agree to it? Sasuke?" The raven ignored her and walked away. "Sasuke? You bastard! Hey!"

Sasuke secretly smiled.

…

Jiraiya spend the better part of the week looking for the blonde gaki only to find him exactly where he had left him. The blonde was down, the Toad Sage concluded. Something must've happened during the time he was gone.

"Shrimp!" Jiraiya shouted from across the clearing. He was afraid to get any closer. "Ready to figure out why the blankets have been staining red?"

"No." Jiraiya flinched at the straightlaced answer.

"It'll be fun." The white haired man coaxed.

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Why are all the way over there?"

Jiraiya chuckled nervously. "No reason. So?"

Naruto stood up and stomped towards the long haired man. "No, but you know what else we could do that's fun?" The Toad Sage gulped.

"What?"

"We could train! I've thought about it and I've realized that Sasuke could very well be stronger than me. We travel more than we train and if there comes a day that I have to fight him, I don't want to lose."

"Woah." The man frowned. "What brought this on?"

"Nothing." Naruto turned and walked back to his log.

Jiraiya who followed behind couldn't stop it even if he wanted to. His eyes, which had been looking at everything, landed on Naruto's butt. At first, the toad loving man didn't noticed it but there was an unmistakable red stain the boy's butt.

"Hey," he called out, "did any animals pass by here that might've been injured?"

Naruto turned his head around and gave Jiraiya the looked that the older man interpreted as, ' _did you hit your head as a child'_? "No. I didn't see any."

Jiraiya had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Stains like that don't just appear anywhere or anytime. He wanted to believe that perhaps it was just a coincidence that there happened to be a stain on his apprentice's butt where ladies usually stain if they were on their monthly. The blonde could've sat on red berries or something. Right?

The toad lover crafted his words carefully and observed Naruto scrutinizingly. "Are you a girl?"

" _What_? Why the heck you think that? How can I be a girl? We've been traveling for over a year! I can't be a girl?"

But Jiraiya wasn't listening anymore. He sank to his knees and fainted.

When Jiraiya woke up an hour later, sitting in front of him was Naruto. Originally, the sage wanted to deny it but when he really looked at him—her. He realized that he'd been blind the whole entire time. Tsunade was probably laughing her ass off sitting in some stupid tower.

He gaped like a fish. He was too shocked to really form coherent sentences.

Naruto's face was softer than a boy's. Her voice was also very feminine which should've been a warning flag immediately. And if that didn't, then all those times she refused to bathe with him should've raised his suspicions. He was an idiot.

When the blonde's face paled because of his mentioning of the stain—which was period, by the way—was because she'd been afraid of him finding out. Then all those times when she warned him off from staring at girls, that had been because she was a girl, herself!

He paled.

"No...no. No! No! No! NO!" Jiraiya grabbed at his hair. The whole entire time, he'd been bossed around by a little girl! How pathetic was he? Was he cursed to live with violent tempered women? First there was Tsunade, then Kushina, and now Naruto!

The pervert just couldn't believe it. He exposed her to things! Like naked guys that visited the brothels. He exposed her to _orgies_ , for Kami's sake! He'd even spiked her drink in hopes that he'd get laid! What if instead of a brothel girl, it had been some sick weirdo that had gotten a hold of her that time?

He'd let her out of his sight!

"Ero-sennin…" The sage glanced up and he was met with the blonde's frightened eyes.

"Y-you're a girl!" the blonde nodded hesitantly. "I've made you write porn! _I've gotten naked around you_!" Jiraiya sat on a log in front of her and put his head in his hands. "I can't believe I exposed you to things like that…"

"It's f-fine." Naru tried. "I've seen things like—"

"Do you have any idea what your parents will do to me when they meet me in the afterlife? Your _mom_ will _kill_ me! She'll skin me alive and roast me like a chicken! Then she'll take me before I'm fully cooked then she'll chop me up to pieces. But she won't compare to your father cause he'll politely smile at me while planning on ways to kill me. In the middle of the night, he'll kidnap Orochimaru and force his cooperation. Orochimaru will agree because I know the snake! He'll love for a chance to torture me because I turned him down. Brat! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Jiraiya wailed.

Naruto frowned. "Wait, _what_? My parents?"

Jiraiya froze. "What?"

"My parents! You _knew_ my parents?!"

The white haired pervert fell back on his log. "N-no! Of course not! I-I meant metaphorically! But let's speak about how you deceived me about your gender!"

"You knew my parents and you didn't tell me?" The pervert shook his head vigorously in denial. "You're gonna tell me right now or _else_!" The blonde hissed cracking her knuckles.

"I know noth—wait!" Jiraiya begged as the vengeful blonde advanced closer and closer. "Wait! Wai—AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The loud scream of one frightened sage scared off all the animals in that area.

* * *

 **A/N: I think a lot of the scenes here could've been better written, but a promise is a promise so I present you….THE END OF CHAPTER 12!**

 **Tell me what ya thought and I love ya!**


	13. Chapter 13-ish

**A/N:**

 **I found one brave person, by the way. You know? The guy thing? I couldn't pounce on him...sad.**

 **OK! I had one comment that asked me not to abandon the story. Just to reassure you, that's not gonna happen. I might not always pull through, but I am NOT planning on abandoning this story! I haven't been updating recently and no matter my excuses, it's my fault. But, yeah. It's school.**

 **OH! GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINALS! (If you are a student)**

 **PLEASE ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Warning! Grammars. Always.**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 13**

Sakura had to admit that it took Jiraiya-sama coming back to the village to remind her of her blonde haired teammate. She'd forgotten about Naruto, but she'd never once forgotten about Sasuke.

She hated herself. Why was it Sasuke?! Why did he never leave her thoughts? It should be Naruto that she thought about! Naruto that she should worry about! Not a boy that could care less if she lived or died!

Yet, everything revolved around the dark-eyed boy. She hated it, but she hated herself more.

The day that Sasuke left had scarred both her and her blonde teammate. She thought that if she'd asked Naruto to stop Sasuke, the blonde would succeed because...well, Naruto was Naruto! He made miracles happen! He made Sasuke open up and gave the brooding boy a spec of light to illuminate his dark world. She had believed that if it was Naruto, he could do anything! Even change the stubborn Uchiha!

Yet, the blonde failed. She'd gotten angry. She'd blamed Naruto for the failure. Yet, she never once took a portion of the blame. The blonde boy had came back close to death's doors while she was perfectly healthy and the first that she had done when he's woken up was start a fight with him. She didn't even have the courtesy to ask if he was alright!

Her mind flashed back to the words she'd hurled at him before he made his journey with Jiraiya-sama. He didn't even get a chance to reply...

" _You were supposed to stop Sasuke-kun! I trusted you! You said that you'd be able to bring him back, but you've come home empty-handed! You might as well have not come back at all because you aren't the person I wanted to see! It was Sasuke! You should've never come back without him!"_

She remembered the glimmer of happiness in Naruto's eyes as the jewels landed on her. He was relieved and it made her so angry that the blonde could even be _feeling_ something like joy or relief! He had just failed to retrieve his teammate and he was happy?!

That was how she felt and before she knew it, hurtful words just sprouted and she never got to apologize to the blonde. He never sent any letters to her despite the letters that she religiously sent to him at least four times a week. She felt bad because honestly, it wasn't Naruto's fault. Naruto was strong enough to face off with Sasuke. It was her that was at fault. In the whole scheme of things, she did nothing to stop the raven except force her feelings onto him. Yet, she had the audacity to blame the one person that almost died to stop their wayward teammate from leaving.

Honestly, Sakura was the epitome of pathetic.

In one fell swoop, she's killed the light that was flickering in Naruto. She blew it out and she couldn't blame him for wanting to get as far away from her as possible.

Yet, she was still selfishly missing him.

Sakura grabbed the photo on Naruto's nightstand. He didn't take it. The photo of them. He probably didn't want to remember…

She traced her hands over Naruto's childish face. The wetness on her cheeks made her feel even more disgusted with herself. She was a monster for being so cruel to such a kind person. If only Naruto was here so she could explain that she didn't mean what she said. She wanted to tell him that even if she had Sasuke, it would change nothing because Naruto was the glue that kept them together. Without a Naruto, there was no Team Seven!

The pinkette gently eased the photo on the table and made her way out of the cramped apartment.

When Naruto came back, she'd tell him that Sasuke didn't have to be their world—that he could break the promise to retrieve their missing teammate because honestly? She never wanted to feel abandoned again. Not by Naruto, if he had to take his last breath.

She wanted him safe even if she was the real monster that tore his heart open with her words.

* * *

 **A/N: Tomorrow...Well, it's technically today since it's the 18th, but I'm taking my finals. HIGH SCHOOL finals. There was supposed to be more, but I really wanted to give this to you all. Please wish me luck! It's American History 2, the subject that I'm worst at.**

 **I already know I'm going to screw it up so bad, but still wish me luck, okay? And same with all the others that are taking their finals! GOOD LUCK!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:**

 **I'm so bad at updates. I admit that and I'm sorry. It's like...as soon as my hands are on the keyboard, my head decides that it doesn't want to focus anymore.**

 **ENJOY THE READ!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 14**

"Alright, close your eyes and concentrate on your surroundings." A rough voice sounded out. Naru groaned, but obeyed the rough voice, nonetheless. "Regulate your breathing, first." She did just that, but two minutes of nothing left her restless.

Frustrated, Naru leaped up and stomped off in the opposite direction. She ignored the stern voice telling her to stop. It was noon and she was irritated and starving! They'd been at it since a week ago, but there was just no luck. She either could not keep still or her breathing wasn't regulated enough. It was one thing or another and she was tired of it. She understood that meditation was something that she needed especially with her status as a Jinchuuriki, but she had no talent in the area.

It wasn't as easy as her current sensei thought it was. The gruff man was hard to please and he expected nothing less than perfection. She had met the man a month ago when she she accidentally fell on his lap while he was meditating. From then on, her perverted guardian thought that it was a good idea to leave her there with a man that she barely knew while he went galavanting off somewhere for his lecherous research.

The man, Hiromasa, was someone that was not that much older than her, but he certainly acted like one. He was polite, reserved, stern, and so very frustrating. He never got angry at her whenever she failed, but he was always pushing her to master the art of meditating. She just couldn't read him! Even when she pranked him with a bowl of of tar, stuck smelly bird feathers on him, he never showed an ounce of anger. Irritation, maybe, but anger, no!

When Naru had first fell on his lap, she had thought that it was fate, even though she didn't believe in things like that. His red eyes stared down at her with a mix of wonder and amusement. His dark hair framed his flawless face, and the blonde almost believed in love at first sight. She came to learn later, that he was the son of a renowned sensei that taught the village children how to properly defend themselves.

For three days, she had let her curiosity overtake her common sense and trailed him. She observed the way he interacted with others, his stance when he either fought against his father or whenever he was demonstrating a move to the village children, and she observed the lonely air that followed him wherever he went. At first, she didn't understand why he was lonely till she noticed how hard it was for someone like him to connect with people around his age. Hiromasa was only twenty-one and in shinobi society, it was perfectly acceptable if you didn't have a significant other yet, but it was different for him—for the village.

The man was neither shinobi, nor was he a regular civilian and the blonde girl felt a little sorry for him. However, her curiosity quickly turned into frustration when her perverted sensei took notice of her interest in the 'village boy'—the Ero-sennin's words, not hers. The toad lover thought it would do her some good if she actually interacted with her origin of interest, hence how she got in her situation.

Under some ridiculous lies from the Toad Sage, Hiromasa had personally taken Naru as his student. He taught her a good many things besides helping her find a balance to her fighting style. He taught her different types of medicinal herbs and poisonous ones that were littered all over the forest floor. He'd told her that in a losing fight, a single plant could be the difference between living to see another sunrise or dying instead. He taught her to be confident with herself and not let other's perception affect her which she was really grateful for because whether she noticed it or not, she was always trying to please the people around her.

He was a great teacher and she absorbed everything which was made easier with his patient personality and good lucks. Then it all changed when he breached the subject of meditating. This time, it didn't matter how easy on the eyes he was, she just couldn't do it. Meditating just wasn't for her.

He couldn't understand that.

Sure that she was far enough from her source of frustration, Naru let out a puff of breath. She had so much tension stored in her little body that she didn't know what to do. She wasn't allowed to fight anyone if she didn't manage at least on successful meditation. And normally, Naru wasn't a stickler for rules. But when a hot guy told you not to do it, you tend to listen.

Kidding. It had nothing to do with the hot guy.

There just weren't any worthwhile opponents. Ero-sennin was nowhere to be found, rightfully so since he knew that he'd be the first person she'd vent her anger and unrelieved tension at. Then there was Sasuke...the last time she saw Sasuke was at the waterfall and that was almost a year ago. She tried to follow his trail, but the bastard was good at covering his tracks. Occasionally, she'd wonder where he was at, if he was a part of the hideous crimes that were link or Orochimaru, or if he was just eating well. She knew from a firsthand experience that the bastard was a picky eater, if not one of the most.

He was probably surpassing her by leaps and bounds while she had to learn how to _meditate_. At the rate she was going, how in the world was she supposed to bring the prickly bastard home?!

Fed up with her emotions, she clenched her fist and punched the closest tree near her.

"Ow!"

What?

The blonde watched with fascination as the tree morphed into a humanoid form with long red hair and irritated brown eyes sporting a pout. It was a girl or maybe a woman. The blue eyed girl wasn't sure, yet. Naru looked up and down in confusion. What was the girl doing, wearing a skirt that barely covered her privates and a tight shirt that enhanced her above average boobs?

"Who are you?" Naru snapped.

The girl tsked and gave the blonde an unimpressed look. "So you are Hiromasa's student, eh?" Naru narrowed her eyes. "A lot of girls have tried to get close to him by posing as students before, you know. He won't like you just because you're a little curvier and have more pronounced cleavage."

Frowning, the blonde girl realized with dread that this girl in front of her was a fangirl. She had had enough of those to last her a lifetime. Sasuke had at least fifty girls trailing him around when they were at the academy. Still, the redhead wasn't wrong about Naru. The blue eyed girl _was_ trying to get closer to her illustrious sensei, but she bore no fruit—not that she had done anything to garner his attention. She didn't have the time.

"Look," Naru snapped, "I don't have any hidden intentions with Hiromasa-sensei." She winced at her lie. "He's just teaching me stuff and even if I _did_ like him, it wouldn't work out anyway."

The girl huffed. "That's what _all_ the girls say, but whatever, if he's only a sensei to you, then you don't mind me taking you as my student, do you?"

Naru glared. She minded! "Of course not!" She yelled, contrary to what she felt. "That is, if you have anything worthwhile to teach me." The blonde grinned smugly. The girl could turn herself into a tree, so what? Many shinobi could do the exact same thing. It was called a henge. That didn't make her special.

"Very well. I'll teach you the art of seduction." The redhead gave her a haughty look as if Naru was something dirty in need of polishing.

Flustered, the blonde thought up of a way to refuse her. "I-I know how to seduce people. I learned it at the brothel women when I passed by that area." She was aware that her voice was higher than normal and her face was red. It didn't help that she stammered her sentence out.

The redhead tsked at her once again. "If you know, why aren't you using it against Hiromasa-sensei?"

"B-Because I—"

"Because you don't know how."

"I'm not a perv like you!" Naru shouted when her brain short circuited in embarrassment. Her face was redder than a tomato, she was sure.

"You don't need to be a perv to learn the art of seduction, idiot, but you need my help, I'll help you. My name's Chieko-sama. Make sure you meet me here tomorrow or you'll be sorry for wasting my time!." Spinning on her heels, Chieko departed.

The girl left standing gritted her teeth angrily. She left Hiromasa to cool off only to get more riled up. Maybe it was time she found the Ero-sannin and left the village.

…

Naru pouted as she watched the scene in front of her. Her blue eyes were burning in jealousy while her teeth gnashed against each other, creating a dry, irritating sound that made the large man next to her cringe. The sleeve of the formal kimono that she was wearing was in between her lips as she tried to keep from jumping the woman in front of her. Honestly, this was not what she expected when the woman came and offered herself as Naru's teacher!

"Calm down, brat!" Jiraiya whispered to his charge. "It's not the end of the world."

Two blue pools glared at him menacingly, daring him to go against her. "Calm down? How can I calm down when that witch is marrying my one true love?!" She hissed back. "Look at her! She's all over him! I bet he's not even happy. She probably drugged him, dressed him, and then forced the marriage on him!"

The toad lover shook his head at his charge's wild imagination. At first glance, that could've been so with how reserved the Hiromasa was, but Jiraiya could see the flecks of affection reserved for the woman next to him. The red eyed man was truly captivated by his wife, but the white haired man wisely kept his mouth shut.

But if he was being honest, the reason that Hiromasa and Chieko ended up together was his fault. He may or may not have left a picture of Sasuke for the man to find. From then on, it was pretty easy. The Uchiha was one good looking fellow and the red eyed man probably knew that he'd be no match against the raven haired boy if he pursued his interest on the blonde gaki. So, when Hiromasa came to him to ask about the estranged Uchiha, the toad lover may or may not have exaggerated some parts of his story. It made the Sage feel a little guilty at the hands he played in Naru's love life, but it wasn't like it would end well, anyway!

Hiromasa had feelings for Naru, yes! But, his charge's only focus was Sasuke! The poor boy would always feel second best—always having to fight for attention that wasn't wholly focused on him, that was if the blonde girl would even agree to a relationship. Jiraiya believed he did the right thing. Hiromasa wasn't good enough for her, anyway. His charge could suffer and brood all she wanted. She only had a crush on him—if even. She probably just admired the fine male specimen that he was. No big deal.

The toad lover chuckled inwardly. Besides, this was revenge. It was made all the better since he didn't approve of Hiromasa.

"Stop looking like Orochimaru." The blonde girl hissed next to him. The white haired Sannin shivered at that. Him, looking like Orochimaru? No...just no. "We have to congratulate the witch! I'm going to cut all her panties and bras after this!"

The blue eyed girl stood up stiffly and walked towards the happy couple with a large smile that anyone would know was fake. Jiraiya followed behind. "Congratulations, you hag!" Naru patted Chieko's shoulder with more force than necessary. "And you too, sensei! You might not want to look like you're dead or others will misunderstand. The hag didn't force you to marry her, did she?"

Chieko's face turned as red as her hair. "Why you!" But Naru only grinned, her eyes sparkling playfully.

"Thank you, Naru-chan." The red eyed man nodded towards Naru respectfully. "If you ever need me, just send a letter and I'll come."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. He felt like he had just swallowed two whole lemons seeing the man speak so fondly to his god-daughter. The whole point in forcing the young man away from his charge was so the man stayed far, far away, that way, his charge's innocence will never be tainted. Perhaps, he didn't push the man far enough? Was saying that Sasuke was Naru's finaceé not enough? Usually it was. Did he not add enough heat and passion in their romance when he was spinning tales?

"Thank you, sensei." Naru smiled. She wasn't truly mad at their pairing. She was honestly happy for them. It wasn't like anything would've come out of it if her good looking sensei returned her affections.

"Thanks for making it for the wedding, brat. I know you had to leave two weeks ago, but thanks for staying, all the same." Chieko smiled. Despite their little rivalry over her husband, she had really enjoyed teaching the blonde. The memories of her first and only student were good ones. She knew that Naru was half-hearted when it came to Hiromasa so, the blonde wasn't really as angry as she made herself seem. "Come visit us." She invited.

Her blonde student stuck her tongue out. "Just wait till I marry! My husband will be even better looking than sensei!" Chieko felt her husband stiffen beside her, but she waved it off. She knew that when it came to feelings, she wasn't her husband's first choice, but she loved him enough that she was willing to accept it.

"Let's go, gaki." Jiraiya called out behind the blonde girl. "Time to head back to Konoha. We've already delayed it for six months."

Naru smiled. She was heading home.

…

The first thing that Naru noticed when she arrived inside the gates of Konoha was that everything looked the same. All the vendors were the same, masses of people milling around, and the occasional ninja leaping from roof to roof was the same. Taking a deep breath, the blonde acknowledged that she was home. Finally.

"Are you gonna take another step in or just stay there?" Frowning, she gave the large, white haired man beside her a glare. She was satisfied when he cowered back a little. He should be afraid, Naru thought grumpily. He forced her to acknowledge her gender and come home looking like the girl she actually was. Now, if her friends accepted her or not was all going to be the Ero-sannin's fault.

Nervous, she grabbed a strand of hair and started fiddling with it. She wasn't sure how her peers would see her as. Would they accept her or alienate themselves from her? She knew that if she were in their shoes, she'd need a moment to think. It's not everyday that your _very boy_ looking friend springs out a secret surprise that actually, he was not actually a he but a she instead!

Naru hoped that she didn't run into anyone that would recognize her. She wanted it to stay that way for at least a year if not longer. At least she didn't inform anyone except the old hag that she was coming home.

"Let's go see Tsunade-hime." Unwillingly, she was dragged by Jiraiya and up into the Fifth Hokage's office. It was a lucky thing that Iruka wasn't anywhere to be found.

When the door swung open, Tsunade was in the process of grabbing her precious sake away from Shizune. Awkwardly, both parties just stared at each other. While the old hag knew of Naru's gender, she had never actually seen the blonde looking so...feminine. The tomboy was gone, instead, replaced with a strong and confident girl with long golden hair, dark blue eyes that seemed to smolder you, delicious curves that would make any women jealous, and breasts that made even Tsunade herself take a second look.

It was a certainty that the Uzumaki in front of her was well endowed in the chest department. Her boobs weren't outrageously big, but they were big and they fit her well. Her outfit, orange pants that hung low on her hips, bandaged from the calves down to give it less of hassle and offer more mobility. Then her jacket, it ended right above her belly button. It wasn't zipped all the way, showing the curve of her breasts.

Inwardly groaning, Tsunade could already feel the jealousy that would emit from Sakura because while her apprentice had grown and matured, her chest was still a little...underdeveloped. Not to mention the lustful stares that may come from the male population. She could feel the headache making its way to the surface.

"Err, hi?" Tsunade's source of trouble waved.

Sighing, the Slug Princess grabbed the cup of sake from Shizune who was still too shocked to function, she drowned it down and glared at the door. That would be where the trouble came through. Could she lock it and board it up so they would never make it into her office?

"I will not be explaining your change of genders to your peers." The female Sannin said, ignoring Naru's awkward greeting. "And it's unfortunate, but Sakura will be here any moment along with Kakashi."

Fidgeting, Naru wished that she could henge back to looking like a boy, but Jiraiya's presence stopped her from doing that. It was better that they found out her gender sooner rather than later. If she continued to hide it, not only would she be running away from herself and disappointing those that helped her with her self-confidence, she'd also be giving the future her much more trouble.

"Don't worry, gaki." The white haired man gently whispered. "If they can't accept the real you, then they don't have a right to stand by you."

The blue eyed girl snorted. Sasuke was among the first to discover her secret and accept her, yet where was he? Not by her side, that was for certain. Still, she nodded anyway.

She forced herself to stay still when a knock sounded through the room. It was now or never.

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 **A/N: HAHAHAHA!** **Tell me, how should her team react to her being a girl? Sakura in particular. Review and give me your opinions.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

 **I'm so sorry** **dbzfan the first** **. I told you a week but it was obviously NOT a week. Thanks to all of you who are still reading this story. I'm so grateful! Sometimes I have such great ideas but I'm too lazy to put them into words! STILL,**

 **ENJOY THE READ!**

 **ALSO, BEWARE OF HORRENDOUS GRAMMAR!**

 **Warning! Fem/naru**

 **Pairing: Sasu/naru...I think**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! (did I spell the name right? I don't want to offend anyone if I did)**

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 **A Strange Circumstance**

 **Chapter 15**

Naru took in a deep breath as the door swung open and she was instantaneously met with vivid pink hair and bright green eyes that could almost rival an emerald stone. The one person that, if Naru was being completely honest with herself, she was not ready to meet. Regardless, a shocked Naru still stood in front of her teammate. She honestly had no idea what to say. They didn't exactly leave on good terms but Sakura was an important person to her.

And as cerulean blue eyes met bright green ones, both girls held their breathe as they waited for the other to make the first move. It had been so long since Sakura had last seen her teammate and she had expected a lot of things, but not for Naruto to come back in his girl transformation jutsu, but she would leave the explanation for that later.

She had missed Naruto terribly. It hurt to see the blonde looking so happy and so healthy without her in the picture. She missed him. Simple as that even though the whole fallout was her fault. She's made so many excuses for herself over the years and it was time to stop if she truly didn't want to lose another teammate and friend.

"Naruto," Sakura breathed out with wonder. He was finally here after so long! The boy was like a breathe of fresh air. With him, she knew that everything was going to be okay because he was Naruto, her teammate and her closest friend. Her eyes watered and ler lips wobbled as she struggled to release the words that have entangled her whole being and threatened to consumed her in their abyss of guilt and self-hatred. "I'm sorry, Naruto!"

The room fell silent.

Sakura slowly raised her head to meet Naruto's cerulean ones. They were so warm and happy like the sun itself was trapped behind that single look and it made her feel so _guilty_.

"It's fine, Sakura-chan," a bright smile was flashed her way, yet Sakura felt anything but _fine_ and it wasn't because of the the hostile stance that one of the Sannin just suddenly took. "I forgive you." The pinkette vaguely grasped that two warm hands were gripping her shoulders gently, reassuringly, but she was too lost in a sea of guilt and self-hatred to fully comprehend that kind, sweet Naruto was being his usual idiotic forgiving self.

"It's not okay," she whispered lowly, though she knew the occupants in the room could hear her. "It's not okay," she repeated, louder—stronger. "You're the most important person in my life and—"

"It's all in the past, Sakura-chan." Warm blue eyes bore into her very soul and at that moment, the pinkette had never felt more sorry. Naruto was the sun, plain and simple and she took him for granted. How was she ever going to win back the trust that she so cruely shattered two years ago? How would she ever win back that camaraderie? The easy going banter that would always end in laughter and a lighter heart no matter the situation?

She couldn't, but she'd try damn hard!

"Naruto-kun," she whispered, taking a deep breath as she pushed her over emotional wrecking mess to the back of her mind to deal with later, "so, what's the deal with this transformation jutsu?"

Awkward silence met her inquiry.

"Uh, the thing is, uhmm…" Naruto nervously rubbed his nose, making Sakura raise an expectant eyebrow. "I kind of have something to tell you." The pinkette nodded encouragingly. "I, well, I'm a freaking girl!"

The pinkette gave the blonde a look of disbelief. She honestly thought her teammate was kidding, but the tense atmosphere warned her otherwise. Usually, she'd hit Naruto over the head and tell him to stop being a wisecrack and grow up because that wasn't a really funny joke to make, but after the emotional apology, she didn't have any energy left to react and add to the fact that the white-haired sannin looked like he was going to murder her regardless of the Hokage being _right_ there and her being the Hokage's apprentice if she so much as mumbled the wrong answer.

But, she really didn't know what to think. It was a huge revelation for Naruto to suddenly throw at her, but so many things made sense. There was always a secrecy to her blonde teammate that try as she might, she just couldn't crack the stubborn nut.

Numbly, a flickering flame registered.

"Does Sasuke know?" The atmosphere grew thicker and it was getting harder for Sakura to breathe. Faintly, she discerned that it was killing intent, but she didn't care. She just needed to know the truth.

"Yes." Simple and straight to the point, yet there was the distinguished hint of an apology, an apology that shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Three pairs of eyes bore into her, as they waited for her reaction.

"Okay," the pinkette nodded. She was in shock, yes, but she wasn't angry. She never suspected a thing and she realized, shame on her because that's not the kind of secret you can keep from a teammate that truly cared about each other, unless, of course, the teammate was a self-absorbed fangirl like herself then it made sense because she was an idiot and she couldn't be mad at anyone else except herself.

"Sakura-chan, give me more of a reaction! Are you mad at me for keeping this secret? Are you frustrated that the bastard knew, but you didn't? _What_? Give me a reaction!" As the blonde babbled on in panic, Sakura couldn't help but think back on her promise.

 _Naruto over Sasuke, right?_

 _Leave the brooding Uchiha at the first chance she got, right?_

Weren't these the things that she promised to herself? She mentally nodded. Yes, she promised to give up on Sasuke Uchiha as soon as chance presented itself and this was the perfect opportunity. She would focus more on Naruto, her very much _female_ friend and she'd dedicate herself to her blonde teammate even if they both faced the jaws of death together because it was about time Naruto got someone that supported him— _her_ no matter the consequences!

"I'm mad," she started out slowly, "at you for not trusting me enough to tell me the truth, but I realized that I'm actually the shitty teammate that didn't notice." She swallowed thickly as she prepared her next words, "And I don't care about Sasuke. He's our teammate and we are going to try our damndest to get him back, but it's not like he has to be our whole world."

"Sakur—"

"Alright!" Tsunade decided it was time to put her two cents in. "Talk about this in your private time. Team Seven is going to have a test and your nutty sensei is here."

And with that, a sheepish sensei quickly entered through the window, all the while ignoring the fierce glared that Tsunade sent his way. He sent a quick wave and his eyes crinkled in a smile. "Hello!"

Four looks of complete and utter incredulous looks were sent his way. With a dirty glare, the Toad Sannin asked his bitter-laced question, "Did you know about Naru's gender, Kaka-gaki?"

A nervous chuckle was given. "Kind of?" A dark aura surrounded Jiraiya and Kakashi quickly amended his answer with a squeak, "I-I mean, I didn't know from the beginning, but things just stood out?" The silver-haired jounin sent his pink-haired student a, ' _help me_ ' look.

Said student shook her head and maliciously drove a nail in his coffin, "He once took us to an Onsen and told me to strip Naruto naked while both Sasuke and him were there."

A crack of the knuckles and an insane laughter and Kakashi was out of there while one angry Jiraiya gave chase.

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 **A/N: Well there was that! I am so freaking sorry for not updating in so long! I know the apology sounds so empty, but it's that feeling where your hands are on the keyboard, but they don't want to work.**

 **And sorry for the rushed chapter! If you have any complaints or dissatisfaction, send them over and I will try to deal with it!**

 **Also, you guys know this, but there is definitely grammar mistakes. If you guys could be a dear, please point them out so I can fix my mistakes. This was written around 4 a.m so of course there'll be mistakes. There's mistakes even if i'm writing during the day. LOL!**

 **And, if you guys can answer this question I'll try to update within next week, so here we go:**

 **From Chapter 1 til' this present chapter, how many times have I written Uchiha, Uzumaki and Haruno?**

 **And anyways, tell me what you guys think. How's the character development going on if there's any. What do you guys think about Sakura? How with the rest of Konoha 12 know and who within Konoha 12 already know and why do you think they already know?**

 **P.S criticisms are welcomed!**

 **L YNAL**


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